He adopted Caravaggio's method of painting from life using dramatic lighting and is considered one of the leading Caravaggisti.

She may be tuning her lute in anticipation of a concert, as shown by the assortment of recorders, a cornetto and violin, and the song books lying open on the table before her.

[6] It can be taken as a genre scene or as a portrait, but since many of the paintings of its time included some allegorical message, it can also represent the allegory of hearing or a portrayal of Harmonia, the Greek goddess of harmony and concord.

Viewers will notice that the neck of the violin on the table will always appear to point at them no matter where they stand in relation to the painting.

[1] Christiansen & Mann note that Gentileschi returned to Caravaggio's early Giorgionesque work, exemplified by paintings such as the c. 1594–1596 Penitent Magdalene, as guidance for his departure from mainstream Caravaggism that The Lute Player represents.