As is frequently found with Cornelis van Haarlem, a seemingly conventional treatment of an often repeated subject is given an extra dimension. The would-be lover appears in robust middle age rather than as toothless old man. The voluptuous young woman, while pointing to the money on offer, is making a gesture of rejection towards the man, as she turns away coyly. In the smooth handling of the paint, Cornelis van Haarlem is continuing the mannerist tradition at a time when the younger artists in Haarlem, such as Frans Hals, were being more experimental.

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