Allegorical Female Figure with Songbook, Viola da Gamba, and Cat by Hans Baldung Grien was created in 1529 and is in Alte Pinakothek München. The size of the work is 83,1 x 36,4 cm and is made of oil on wood.
About the Work
The meaning of the ‘Woman with a Music Book, Viola da Gamba, and Cat’ and the ‘Woman with a Mirror, Snake, Stag, and Hind’ remains unresolved to this day. They are likely personifications of complex concepts rooted in humanist thought. Suggestions have included Musica and Prudentia (prudence), as well as temperaments, planetary deities, virtues, the liberal arts, or even themes of a Christian nature. The two paintings were almost certainly part of a series.
