Material analysis of “The Music Lesson” from the Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum Collection

In 1980 the Auckland Institute & Museum received a bequest which included a small oil painting, “The Music Lesson”, noted as by Jan Steen, a Dutch artist active in the mid-17th century. However, there was doubt about this attribution, with the possibility the painting was by a contemporary or a 19th century pastiche of the 17th century Netherlandish style. With attribution of the painting unresolved, a technical art history survey of the painting was undertaken to inform understanding of when, where and who executed the painting. This included pigment analysis of the paint and dendrochronological analysis of the oak panel. Attribution of “The Music Lesson” to Jan Steen could not be refuted, but several hypotheses remain open, requiring further investigation of the artistic style. However, the use of specific pigments not used after AD 1700 and a terminus post quem date of AD 1623 for the oak panel provide clear indication of mid-seventeenth century Northern Europe in the period and place of manufacture. This aligns well with the composition, costume, and subject matter and rules out the likelihood of the work being a 19th century pastiche.