Dirck Hals, the younger brother of the famous Haarlem painter Frans Hals, focused on cabinet-format portraits depicting young people from higher society during moments of relaxation and entertainment - very often enjoying music and dancing. From biographers we know that the family of both these painters intensely promoted music and the two brothers were members of rhetoric societies that also promoted singing, music, and poetry. Hals’ figures are always depicted wearing contemporary fashion, in some cases highly extravagant - the men in this painting have fashionable broad-rimmed hats and white ruffs. As compared to his other scenes of young people enjoying themselves, here Hals did not depict any of the interior decor that otherwise consisted of paintings and maps on the wall, or views looking out onto a garden. There are also none of the other obligatory motifs seen elsewhere, such as oysters, which were considered to be a great aphrodisiac, or wine in a cooling vessel, which, in conjunction with music, indicated the sensual experience that was so frowned upon by Calvinist preachers and moralists. The focal point of this scene is centred on a group of four men and four women who are enjoying themselves to the accompaniment of a lute, violin, and flute. The woman in the centre is looking at sheet music to set the tempo while the others sing. The figures impress with their elegant poses, such as the man shown on the left with his hand placed on his hip. It is possible that the scene is set in an establishment where travellers, for instance, could rent a room, including musical instruments, to while away the long hours. However, the names of some such establishments, such as “House of Delight” or “The Ox’s Marriage”, suggest that the activities were not just confined to music alone.
