Title: Music Lesson

School: Spanish School
Date: Late 19th – Early 20th Century
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: Sight: 70 x 59 cm; Frame: 97 x 86 cm
Condition Report: Presents areas of repainting and restorations

Description:
This charming gallant scene depicts an intimate interior setting, where two elegantly dressed young individuals engage in a private conversation. The composition exudes refinement, with the lavishly decorated room serving as an indication of the sitters' high social standing. Their gestures and close proximity suggest a moment of quiet connection, characteristic of hedonistic and picturesque themes that flourished in the second half of the 19th century.

Belonging to the casacones genre in Spain—akin to the tableautin style in France—this work draws inspiration from an idealized past, often referencing 17th and 18th-century aesthetics. Such compositions, typically small to medium in scale, catered to the tastes of the bourgeoisie, celebrating elegance, luxury, and meticulous craftsmanship.

A key influence on this genre is Mariano Fortuny’s Il Contino (1861), housed in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia. Fortuny’s signature elements—technical delicacy, atmospheric precision, and luminous coloration—are echoed in Music Lesson, reflecting the stylistic nuances that defined this artistic movement.