"The Music Lesson", French School, Circa 1840

Charming pair of paintings representing young women in well-off interiors during their music lesson, one illustrating a singing lesson and the other a cello lesson.

The theme of the music lesson, abundantly represented since the 17th century in Europe, was particularly appreciated in the 18th century in France by painters such as Boucher or Fragonard, who transformed this simple genre scene into a gallant scene, transforming the student-teacher relationship into a young woman-suitor.
However, in these paintings, the game of seduction is absent as indicated by the presence of a third person in both scenes, a maid in one and a young boy holding a violin in the other, probably also preparing to have a lesson too.