Gerard van Honthorst - The soldier and the girl

Title: The soldier and the girl
Artist: Gerard van Honthorst (1592-1656)
Date: 1621
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 83 x 66 cm

The painting "The soldier and the girl" is a close-up of a couple against a dark background. The young woman kindles the embers of the burning charcoal she is holding with tongs in order to light her candle. She is wearing a nightgown. The young man is wearing a mercenary uniform. He looks at her with delight and lasciviously, while he clasps her bare breast with his hand. Her face is not revealing any pleasure from the sexual embrace. Her face is flushing; is it the heat from the fire or discomfort from the soldier's action? Is she forced to comply to the soldier? Is she simply performing a job?