Merry Company (c.1629) Judith Leyster. While we’re currently focusing on Baroque art from Italy, Spain, and France, I always make a point to highlight the Dutch Golden Age painter Judith Leyster whenever I come across her work. She was one of the few well-known female painters of the Baroque period, and only a few paintings have been definitively attributed to her. For many years several of her works were mistakenly credited to Frans Hals, a testament to both her talent and the gender biases of the time.

In Merry Company, we see three full-length figures enjoying a lively gathering, while a few onlookers smile from the doorway, sharing in the revelry. Perhaps the scene depicts three brothers joyfully reuniting after a long separation, as their parents and younger sister watch fondly from a distance. The painting captures a moment of warmth, connection, and celebration, hallmarks of Leyster’s lively and humanistic style.