Dutch painter Hendrick ter Brugghen traveled to Rome late in his career and it was there that he became a follower of Italian painter Caravaggio who inspired A man playing a lute. In 1620 Ter Brugghen painted a number of portraits of Italian musicians in elaborate clothing with no background, using Caravaggio’s style of emphasizing light and shade.
Hendrick ter Brugghen’s A man playing a lute was completed in 1624 when he was 36 years of age and can be found in the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom.