Flirtation in art: ten courtship paintings from parlours and taverns

A serenade by the stove, a needle being threaded, a whisper over a beer. Ten paintings of courtship in everyday life, from Bavaria to Venice.

A young man in a feathered hat playing a small stringed instrument for a smiling girl who sits knitting beside him, in a dim farmhouse room; painted by Hugo Engl.

Not every love story in paint is a legend. In the second half of the nineteenth century, a whole school of painters in Munich, Venice, Paris and Florence specialised in little scenes of courtship: a young man playing for a girl as she knits, a hunter whispering in a tavern, a couple caught between laughter and a kiss. These genre paintings were hugely popular, and they are still among the most charming pictures of love ever made.

1. A Serenade in the Parlour

A young man in a feathered hat playing a small stringed instrument for a smiling girl who sits knitting beside him, in a dim farmhouse room; painted by Hugo Engl.

Hugo Engl — A Serenade in the Parlour, 1882. Complete composition.

In a dim farmhouse room, a young man in a feathered Tyrolean hat sits beside a girl and plays for her as she knits, while she tries not to smile. Hugo Engl painted it in 1882.

Warm browns and a single bright face: a cosy picture for a kitchen.

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2. Young Happiness

A smiling young woman in a red kerchief and black bodice sitting beside a bearded man in a red waistcoat and green hat who holds a pipe, in a farmhouse room; painted by Hugo Kauffmann.

Hugo Kauffmann — Young Happiness, 1885. Complete composition.

Hugo Kauffmann's young woman in a red kerchief and black bodice sits on a bench beside a bearded man in a red waistcoat, who holds his pipe and looks at her sidelong. She smiles out at us. Kauffmann called it Young Happiness.

Warm reds and a big smile: a picture that makes people happy.

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3. Dalliance

A young man whispering to a smiling young woman in a black hat and embroidered bodice at a wooden table in a Bavarian inn, his hand over hers, a beer stein on the table; painted by Peter Baumgartner.

Peter Baumgartner — Dalliance, 19th century. Complete composition.

In Peter Baumgartner's Bavarian inn, a young man leans close to whisper to a young woman in a black hat and an embroidered bodice, his hand over hers on the table, a stein of beer between them. She smiles and does not pull away.

Wood panelling and lamplight: the coziest flirtation in the collection.

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4. The Seamstress

A young woman with a coral necklace threading a needle while a young man in a blue jacket leans close over her shoulder watching her; painted by Eugene de Blaas.

Eugene de Blaas — The Seamstress, before 1931. Complete composition.

Eugene de Blaas, the painter of Venetian girls, shows a young woman threading a needle by the light of a window, her coral necklace at her throat, while a young man leans over her shoulder and watches, as if he had never seen anything so interesting. It is called The Seamstress.

Rich, close and glowing: a lovely small picture for a bedroom.

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5. Flirt

A young woman in a yellow cap with her hands to her cheeks smiling coyly beside a young man in a straw hat and red sash smoking a pipe; painted by Federico Andreotti.

Federico Andreotti — Flirt, before 1930. Complete composition.

Federico Andreotti's Flirt: a young woman in a yellow cap puts her hands to her face, laughing and pretending to be shy, while the young man in the straw hat beside her folds his arms and smokes his pipe, very pleased with himself.

A playful, lively picture: perfect for a couple who still tease each other.

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6. Young Love

A young man with a long pipe and a black hat sitting close beside a young woman in a flowered kerchief and yellow skirt; painted by Hermann Groeber.

Hermann Groeber — Young Love, c. 1920. Complete composition.

Hermann Groeber, a Munich painter of country life, paints a young couple close together, he with a long pipe and a black hat, she in a flowered kerchief, holding something red in her hands. The brushwork is broad and full of colour.

Bold, painterly and warm: a picture with real energy.

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7. A Merry Jest

A young woman in a green satin gown laughing on a sofa while a gentleman in a brown coat leans towards her from a chair, in a pale salon with columns; painted by Frédéric Soulacroix.

Frédéric Soulacroix — A Merry Jest, late 19th century. Complete composition.

In a pale salon with tall columns, a young woman in green satin lounges on a sofa and laughs, while a gentleman leans close from the chair beside her to tell her something. Frédéric Soulacroix calls it A Merry Jest.

Mint-green satin and ivory: a polished, elegant picture for a living room.

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8. Flirtation

A young woman in a pink satin gown reclining in a hammock by a lake while a young man sits on a chair beside her, a park and fountain beyond; painted by Frédéric Soulacroix.

Frédéric Soulacroix — Flirtation, before 1933. Complete composition.

Soulacroix's lovers by a lake: she reclines in a hammock in pink satin, he sits on a chair beside her, leaning in, and the park opens behind them on to still water and a fountain.

Pink satin and green water: romantic and relaxed.

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9. An Offering

A young woman in a pale silk gown reclining on a couch with red drapery while a young man beside her holds up a small gift; painted by Frank Dicksee.

Frank Dicksee — An Offering, 19th century. Complete composition.

Frank Dicksee's young woman lies back on a couch in pale silk and red drapery, half amused, while a young man beside her holds up a little gift for her to see. Dicksee called it An Offering.

Ivory silk and coral red: a lush, luxurious picture.

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10. A Stolen Moment

A man in a black coat kissing the neck of a woman in a pink evening gown who tilts her head back with eyes closed, in a pale hallway; painted by Albert Guillaume.

Albert Guillaume — A Stolen Moment, before 1929. Complete composition.

Albert Guillaume, the Paris illustrator of the Belle Époque, paints a stolen moment in a hallway: a man in a black coat kisses the neck of a woman in a pink evening gown, who tips her head back and closes her eyes.

Pink and black, quick and sketchy: very Parisian, very chic.

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These are pictures of the beginning of love, when everything is a question. They are printed whole from restored scans, and each has a portrait style, so a couple can be painted in a Bavarian parlour or a Venetian salon.

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