Who painted Young Girl at the Keyboard?

Young Girl at the Keyboard was painted by Jacobus Buys in 1767.

Where can I see Young Girl at the Keyboard?

Young Girl at the Keyboard is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Young Girl at the Keyboard?

Young Girl at the Keyboard is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Young Girl at the Keyboard

Jacobus Buys , 1767

Young Girl at the Keyboard is a chalk print by the Romanticist artist Jacobus Buys. It dates from 1767 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Cornelis Ploos van Amstel’s 1767 print, titled Young Girl at the Keyboard, is executed as a chalk‑manner work enhanced with roulette and burnishing techniques. The image was printed in red ink on wove paper and exists as a proof, illustrating the artist’s interest in experimental print processes of the late eighteenth century.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents a young girl seated before a keyboard instrument. She wears a long‑sleeved dress with a high neckline and a bow tied in her hair. Her gaze is directed downward, and her hands hover over the keys, suggesting a moment of focused concentration and quiet introspection while she prepares to play.

Technique & Style

Ploos van Amstel combines chalk‑manner drawing with printmaking, employing roulette to create fine tonal textures and burnishing to smooth and deepen areas of ink. The delicate folds of the dress and the intricate detailing of the keyboard are rendered through careful cross‑hatching, giving the work a sense of depth and tactile quality despite its monochrome palette.

History & Provenance

Created as a proof in 1767, the print reflects the artist’s involvement with the Amsterdam drawing academy, where he explored the reproduction of drawings through print. The work remains in a museum collection, documented as part of the artist’s broader output of instructional and genre images.

Context

During the mid‑1700s, Dutch artists increasingly experimented with print techniques that could emulate the softness of chalk drawings. Ploos van Amstel’s use of red ink on wove paper aligns with contemporary interests in color variations within printmaking, while the subject—a young musician—echoes the period’s fascination with domestic virtue and education.