Young Woman Playing with a Cat

This painting likely portrays a courtesan. She is seen in a state of deshabill�, with her hair decorated in fine jewels and feathers, her face heavily made-up, and plays with a cat, an animal that in both art and literature of the time had erotic connotations. The cat here takes the place of the more-commonly used lute, amongst the Utrecht Caravaggisti, to signify lust.