Flageolet Players

Depictions of country life in which the customs of the poor are idealized for the pleasure of urban viewers were popular in Europe throughout the 18th century. In this scene, a seated male figure reaches toward a woman, who holds a simple flute, called a flageolet, to her mouth. In the bottom right corner, a wheel of cheese, knife, tin cup, and loaf of bread wrapped in a red scarf indicate that this merry party has put aside labor for a picnic supper.