Jan Sanders van Hemessen: Allegorical scene (ca. 1550); Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Whether he actually visited Italy or not is unknown, but it is clear that the maker of this panel, Jan Sanders van Hemessen, was strongly influenced by Italian artists like Savoldo, Rosso Fiorentino and Primaticcio. Van Hemessen lived – approximately - from 1500 till 1556, in the region of Antwerp, Belgium. Evident characteristics of the Italian Renaissance and Mannerist style in the painting are the typical use of color, the sfumato-effect (the ‘hazy’ background, best known from the Mona Lisa), the classical ‘styling’ and the aesthetic portrayal of the human figures.
Less clear is what kind of painting we are actually looking at. Most art historians will agree that this work must be an allegorical scene, but, as allegories usually represent a ‘hidden meaning’, we’d like to know which one precisely. Several elements provide hints to this meaning. The man is holding a bow in his right hand, and a string instrument called lira da braccio in his left. The woman sprinkles the instrument with milk from one of her breasts. In the background, we spot a castle-like construction and a shepherd with his flock; he seems to write or draw something on the ground with his staff.
Among the theories presented to us are that the painting depicts the encounter of poet and poetry, the inspiration of the musician, an allegory of marital harmony and the fruitful encounter between art and nature. All of these explanations sound credible, but are very hard to prove. To some, this may be frustrating; to me, looking at an intriguing piece of art while pondering over all of these possibilities (and perhaps adding some of my own) is the perfect pastime.