The Flageolet Player 1635 - 1640

David Teniers the Younger created this scene of everyday life with oil on panel, likely in Antwerp. Here we see a young man playing a flageolet for an older woman who appears to be reading sheet music. Teniers was a master of genre painting in the 17th century, during a time of social and economic change in the Netherlands. His art often depicts peasants and lower-class individuals engaged in mundane activities. These seemingly simple scenes were made for a rising merchant class, one eager to acquire artwork for display in their homes. How might these displays serve to distinguish social classes? Do they challenge or reinforce the status quo? To fully understand the social and cultural context of a work like this, we can research Dutch history, economic structures, and even the musical traditions of the time. What was the role of music in everyday life? And who had access to it? Through such investigations, we can better appreciate the nuanced meanings embedded within this painting.