The Flute Player

Date1642

Maker Rembrandt van Rijn Dutch, 1606-1669

Label TextA sly shepherd peeks under a young woman's skirt as he plays the flute, an obvious phallic symbol. At the right, his goats frolic unattended. All of these features were staples of pastoral literature and art, which portrayed rural shepherds and shepherdesses as sensual creatures who lived closer to nature than people residing in cities.

Object number35.184

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Durer, Rembrandt, and Goya: Old Masters Prints from the Seattle Art Museum Collection, May 31, 2001 - January 1, 2002. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Rembrandt Prints From The Seattle Art Museum's Permanent Collection, June 3 - July 25, 1993, in conjunction with Dutch and Flemish Paintings: The Harold Samuel Collection. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, SAM on Paper: Rembrandt's Etchings, May 27, 2024 - ongoing (on view September 2024 - March 2025).

Credit LineManson F. Backus Memorial Collection

Dimensions4 1/2 x 5 5/8 in. (11.4 x 14.3 cm)

MediumEtching