The Guitar Player

This informal portrait is probably of a French courtier and his family. It was painted before the artist left Paris in 1706-7. The guitar was popular at the French court in the early 18th century. It was considered especially suitable for accompanying singing. Indeed, the music book on the table appears to be open at a song. The emphasis on music making could be intended to suggest harmony within the family. This painting probably formed part of a large, many-panelled altarpiece. It may have been produced by an unknown artist in the Dutch town of Utrecht. The bearded figure on the left, holding a staff, is probably Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who had Christ crucified. The odd perspective, by which the ground appears tilted up towards the viewer, is typical of northern European painting at this date. So too is the artist’s concern with detail, for example, in the careful illustration of the executioners’ tools. This is one of the artworks presented by the Liverpool Royal Institution. Liverpool’s economic development grew directly from Britain’s involvement with transatlantic slavery: the kidnapping, enslavement and forced migration of people from West Africa to the Americas and many to the Caribbean. Many members of the Royal Institution made their fortunes directly through the trade or indirectly through the wider economy. This wealth was largely how they were able to bring rare art and treasures, such as this, to the city.