Thomas Rowlandson (1756–1827)
The Reflection, or the Music Lesson
date unknown
Pen and ink and wash
YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART, PAUL MELLON COLLECTION
B1975.4.701 (cont…)
Thomas Rowlandson (1756–1827)
Scenes at Bath: The Music Master
ca. 1790–95
Pen and ink and watercolor
Thomas Rowlandson often applied his robust visual wit to the relationship between music and the erotic, especially within the polite confines of the drawing room. In The Reflection, the young lady’s performance on the square piano only heightens the ardor of her suitor, perhaps a young music master, who edges closer and closer as she stares chastely forward. We can imagine an imminent break in her playing as her elderly father discovers the tryst via the mirror over the fireplace. In Scenes at Bath, the music master is luckier, as the young lady’s bibulous and portly father sleeps after over-indulging.
YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART, PAUL MELLON COLLECTION
B1975.3.54