This calm and reflective mid-19th-century German oil painting depicts a woman reclining, her hand on a zither, before moonlit Alpine scenery.Gazing outwards across the rooftops and into the distance, this is a moment of quiet solitude imagined among the grandeur of the Alps. Where a church spire rises from a small settlement, and the peaks are quelled by the poignancy of moonlight. It''s a meditation on music, introspection and stillness. A timeless rendering of a gentle escape.She''s dressed in an outfit aligned with the late medieval or early Renaissance period. Wearing a bodice and chemise combination, with her hair braided. Her posture creates a soft silhouette. Munich painters of this period often dressed models in imagined medieval costume to project a sense of continuity - as if to convey that nothing has changed in these rural dwellings. Works such as this offered relief from the ever-industrialised urban haste of the burgeoning cities. A small posy of wildflowers in he...