Lumen Portengen (1608–1649), The Concert, c.1630s, Oil on canvas, 134 x 164 cm, Bonhams, London, Old Master Paintings Sale, 4 December 2024
In the 1620s and 1630s, the Utrecht Caravaggisti, a group of Dutch painters influenced by Caravaggio, created dramatic, realist works often centred on musical gatherings and their moral symbolism. These scenes ranged from elegant concerts to intimate, informal settings, with instruments frequently symbolising love, transience, and vice themes.
Portengen’s ‘The Concert’ is a sensual depiction of a music-room scene overtly focused on indulgence and moral decay. Provocatively dressed women, likely courtesans, dominate the composition alongside a soldier, symbolising transient pleasure. A lute, often associated with love, seduction, and fleeting enjoyment, reinforces the erotic tone, while an old procuress pouring wine highlights indulgence and the loosening of social constraints. The procuress’s role, often seen in brothel scenes, makes the moral narrative explicit, positioning the painting as both a sensual display and a cautionary tale.
The composition’s dramatic chiaroscuro, directly inspired by Caravaggio, illuminates the figures against a shadowed background, creating a theatrical atmosphere and drawing attention to the central characters. The realistic expressions and gestures heighten the scene’s emotional resonance, engaging the viewer in its narrative.
Unlike other music-room scenes that celebrate harmony or love, ‘The Concert’ focuses on the moral consequences of hedonism. This subgenre explores themes of sensuality and vice, contrasting the beauty of music with its associations with indulgence.