Young Girl at the Keyboard

Art Historical Context

This delicate print, *Young Girl at the Keyboard*, captures a quiet moment of domestic music-making, a theme popular in Dutch art for its associations with harmony, education, and feminine virtue. Created in 1767, it reproduces a composition originally attributed to Jan de Bray, a 17th-century Haarlem painter known for his sensitive portraits and genre scenes. The work was edited by Cornelis Ploos van Amstel, a prominent Dutch collector and publisher who championed the reproduction of old master drawings for a wider audience. What makes this impression especially noteworthy is its sophisticated printing technique. Using chalk manner with roulette on two plates—one inked in gray, the other in red-orange—printmaker Johannes Kornlein achieved a soft, tonal effect that mimics the appearance of colored chalk drawings on paper. This innovative approach allowed 18th-century viewers to experience the warmth and intimacy of the original work without needing access to private collections. Measuring just under seven inches tall, the print exemplifies the period’s growing interest in accessible art reproductions. Gifted to the National Gallery of Art by Sherwood B. Smith, Jr., it remains a charming example of how Dutch publishers bridged centuries of artistic tradition through technical ingenuity.