# The Choristers

**Alessandro Magnasco** (Italian, 1667–1749)  
c. 1740/1745  
oil on canvas  
overall: 68 x 54.5 cm (26 3/4 x 21 7/16 in.) framed: 91.4 x 78.1 cm (36 x 30 3/4 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1972.17.1. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.53149.html).

## About this work

Alessandro Magnasco painted this in about 1740/1745, aged about 73. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

This is a painting of a group engaged in a music session, all looking towards a large open music book in a grand, architectural setting. Behind the group are tall, ornate columns and an arched background that opens up to show a cloudy blue sky. Most of the people have open mouths as if they are singing, while one man in the back seems to be conducting, holding a up roll of paper. Some of the people in the group are seated in cushioned wooden chairs, and a yellowish cloth is draped over the surface that the large book rests on. There is a string instrument similar to a cello near the bottom left corner. The colors used are rich, earthy browns, yellows, and reds, with elements of blue and white clothing. All of the people have pale skin, and two have long white mustaches.

_Description from the National Gallery of Art._

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Alessandro Magnasco](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/alessandro-magnasco)

Italian, 1667–1749

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- The artist was about 73
- Real size: about 27 × 21 in (68 × 55 cm). The 18 × 24 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 18th century
- Subjects: amusement, Music
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1559.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1559/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/the-choristers-nga-53149).