Recorder Home Page

Recorder Iconography
Compiled by Nicholas S. Lander
Hans [Johann; Joan] von Aachen [Aach; Ach; Acha]
German Mannerist painter and draughtsman, active also in Italy and Bohemia; one of the foremost painters of the circle gathered at the Prague court of Emperor Rudolf II; his portraits, mythological subjects, genre pictures and allegories display an eclectic mixture of Italian and Netherlandish influences; born Colgone (1552), died Prague (1615).
- A Man with a Raised Tazza and a Woman Playing a Lute, preliminary drawing, Hans von Aachen (1552-1615).
Private collection.
A painting with this title was auctioned by Christie's, London, 8 July (1927), no. 103, attributed to Andrea Schiavone (ca 1510-1563).
Ref. Wallraf-Richartz Jahrbuch (1971, 33: 123); Heiden (1979, 49: 452-453); Rasmussen (2002, Lute).
"He seems to tap on a music book with his index finger as he raises the tazza. There are prominent grapes. The man is considered a self-portrait. Painted in Rome … In the drawing there is also an unplayed recorder, which in the painting is replaced by a bunch of grapes" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Masséot Abaquesne
French ceramicist who was the first grand-master of the glazed pottery at Sotteville-lès-Rouen where he worked between 1535 and 1557; he was the maker of the remarkable paving in the Chateau de Ecouen, which has been attributed both to Luca della Robbia and Palissy; he also made a large number of pharmacy jars; died Cherbourg (1564).
- Tiles, from the chapel of the Château de la Bastie
d'Urfé, Rouen (1557), Masséot Abaquesne (fl.
1526-1564). Paris: Louvre. Ref. Chastel (1995: 42-43); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001).
Two of the tiles shown have musical trophies. On the left is a drum;
protruding above are the lower parts of three wind instruments.
The latter have slightly flared bells with a crenellated design;
the finger-holes are not in line, which could indicate double
holes near the bell end; there are 4-5 holes on each instrument.
To the lower right of the drum, a duct-flute protrudes with the
head end showing (window/labium is visible). It is not in line
with the instruments protruding above. On the right, a tile shows
a hurdy-gurdy as its main design. At the top right there
protrudes what looks like the end of a duct-flute, with a slight
bell flare and two holes in line. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones
(loc. cit.)
Niccolò [Nicolò] Dell'Abbate [Abate]
Italian painter of the Bolognese school who, along with others,
introduced the post-Renaissance Italian style of painting known
as Mannerism to France and helped to inspire the French classical
school of landscape painting; born Modena (1509-12), died ?
Fontainebleau (1571).
- [Untitled] (before 1540), cartoons, Niccolò
Dell'Abbate (1509-1571). Windsor: Windsor Castle. Ref. Popham
& Wilde (1949: n. 46, fig. 17); Béguin (1969: 56).
Preliminary sketches for a ceiling fresco in the Gabinetto dell'
Eneide in the Rocca di Scandiano, near Modena, Italy (see
below). A musician (? Giulio Acanio Boiardo) plays a wide-bore,
cylindrical recorder.
- Concerto (1540), octagonal fresco, 84
× 84 cm, Niccolò Dell'Abbate (1509-1571). Modena:
Galleria Estense, Inv. 493. Ref. Besseler (1931: 285);
Béguin (1969: 53-56, pl. 4); Archiv Moeck; Cosetta (1985,
1: pl. 11); Rowland-Jones (2003b: 37, fig. 2 - col.)
Originally part of the ceiling in the Gabinetto dell'
Eneide in the Rocca di Scandiano, near Modena. Singers,
musicians and dancers peer down at their audience below. One of
the musicians, a bearded man with a conical hat, holds a lute;
another plays a wide-bore, cylindrical recorder; one plays a bass
viol; two sing. The performers represent members of the Boiardo family.
- La suonatrice di flauto (1540), fresco
(spandrel), 98 × 74 cm, Niccolò Dell'Abbate
(1509-1571). Modena: Galleria Estense, Inv. 2781.
Ref. Béguin (1969: 61-63, pl. 14); Niccolò
Dell'Abate, Mostra di affreschi restaurati (1970); Cosetta (1985,
1: pl. 31); Paris RIdIM (1999); Bridgeman Art Library (2001:
Image AII 78645-col.) A young girl plays a near-cylindrical recorder which has double finger-holes at the partially closed bell end; part of a score is in front of her.
Originally part of the ceiling in a room of the Rocca di Scandiano, near Modena.
"The bell end fitting seems to be a sort of foot-joint" (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 2000).
"In my opinion this recorder could have two venting holes instead of the common bottom one; in other words it could be a partially closed instrument, a type of recorder documented in the Middle Ages (see the Würzburg fragment) and also in present times in the folklore of many countries" (Angelo Zaniol, pers. comm. 2003).
- Cavalieri e dame che suonano, Niccolò Dell'Abbate
(1509-1571).
Bologna: Pinacoteca Nazionale.
Ref. Fabbri (?date, 1: 211); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm, 2000); Angelo Zaniol (pers. comm., 2003).
A woman plays a harp, a man a lute, and another man a small pipe (possibly a recorder, though only the head is visible) to three listening ladies.
- Il Parnaso, 29.9 × 29.9 cm, Niccolò
Dell'Abbate (1509-1571). Paris: Ecole National Supérieure
des Beaux Arts. Ref. Villa I Tatti, ND 623 A24 B4 (1969); Beguin
(1969: fig. 58 - b&w); Paolo Biordi (pers. comm., 2000).
Apollo plays his viol, accompanied by the Muses who sing and play
lute, cornett, tambourine, tabor, harp, ? straight trumpet, and
pipe (possibly a flageolet or recorder), whilst Pegasus gallops
out of the picture.
- Concerto, Niccolò Dell'Abbate (1509-1571). UK:
Collection R. Cosway. Ref. Villa I Tatti, ND 623 A24 G63 (1976);
Godi (1976: fig. 4 - b&w); Paolo Biordi (pers. comm., 2000). A
woman plays the virginals to accompany three men who play cello
(or viol), and two pipes, one of which appears to be a duct-flute
(the window/labium and several finger-holes clearly depicted),
the other of which is ambiguous but very possibly represents
another recorder.
- Concerto, oil painting, Niccolò
Dell'Abbate (1509-1571). Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - b&w). A woman with
her back to us plays a spinet, another facing us plays a lute,
and a man with his back to us plays a viola da braccio. Behind
them, an older man plays a duct-flute (probably a recorder) only
the head of which is visible (the remainder hidden behind the
lutenist's shoulder). This work is currently for sale.
- Recorder Player (1540), fresco (transferred to
canvas), Niccolò Dell'Abbate (1509-1571). Modena: Galleria
Estense. Ref. Cosetta (1985, 1: pl. 26); Anthony Rowland-Jones
(pers. comm., 2001). A man with a huge beard within a floral
surround plays a bulky cylindrical tenor recorder, right hand
uppermost. The window/labium is clearly depicted, and there are
three large finger-holes showing, one above the right hand, and
two between the hands. The third and fourth fingers of the lower
(left) hand reach just within the edge of a massive barrel-shaped
fontanelle with extruding decorative rings at top and bottom. The
reproduction is not clear, but it seems that the bell-end opening
is at the foot of the fontanelle. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc.
cit.)
Herbert von Achternbusch (contemporary), Austria
Contemporary German filmaker, dramatist, director and artist who lives and works in Vienna.
- Musik des Marsyas: Marsyas findet die Flöte, ? watercolour on Nepalese paper, Herbert von Achternbusch (contemporary).
Vienna: Galerie Fichtegasse (2005).
Marsyas picks up an ambiguous cylindrical pipe on which can be seen five finger-holes, not in line. In another painting in this series, Marsyas übt Flöte, Marsyas is seen playing a double pipe (aulos).
- Musik des Marsyas: Athena wirft die von ihr erfundene Flöte weg (2004), watercolour on Nepalese paper, 240 × 280 cm, Herbert von Achternbusch (contemporary).
Vienna: Galerie Fichtegasse (2005).
Marsyas picks up an ambiguous cylindrical pipe on which can be seen five finger-holes, not in line. He is watched by Athene who seems to be throwing another two similar pipes in the air. In another painting in this series, Marsyas übt Flöte, Marsyas is seen playing a double pipe (auolos).
Michel Victor Acier
French-born sculptor who, from 1764, worked alongside Kaendler as Chief Moddeler in the Meissen porcelain factory where he instigated the neo-classical style adopted there; born Versailles (1736), died Dresden (1795).
- Musical Children (ca 1750), porcelain figurine, 27. 5cm high, modelled by Michel Victor Acier (1736-1795).
Hamburg: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Inv. 1922.362.
Ref. RIdM Munich (2009, Hmkg - 166).
A group of 2 boys and 2 girls on a multi-part base. At the top a boy blows a hunting horn, holding a roll of music in his hand. In the middle another boy plays flute and a girl plays guitar. At the base are a violin bow, a recorder or oboe, and some closed note books. Not seen.
Arnold George Adam
- Still-life, oil on canvas, Arnold George Adam.
Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - col.); Website: greatbassviol.com On a harpsichord
lie a candlestick, a goblet, a viola, a lute, and a baroque
recorder with ivory beak and mid-joint, only the head and first
two finger-holes visible. To the left is a bass viol. To the
right is a desk on which various objects are arranged including a globe, a clock, a platter of fruit, a shell, a portrait, papers, and a jar.
François-Gaspard-Balthazar Adam
French sculptor employed by Frederic the Great at Sans Souci,
Potsdam, where he executed numerous sculptures for the decoration
of the park; his work, though unoriginal, helped to spread the
French Rococo style in northern Europe; born Nancy (1710), died
Paris (1761).
- Venus, Apollo and Three Musicians, sculpture, white
Carrara marble, François-Gaspard-Balthazar Adam
(1710-1761). Potsdam: Sans Souci Palace, Marble Room, above the
architrave (facing the terrace). Ref. Postcard: Rainer Gaertner,
Berlin P. 207 (2001 - col.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.,
2001). A monumental group in which musicians play theorbo, organ
and – inevitably – a transverse flute. Other
instruments protrude below them, including a trombone and a
late baroque alto recorder, correct in all
details.
Robert Adam
Scottish architect and designer who, with his brother James,
transformed Palladian Neoclassicism in England into the airy,
light elegant style that bears their name; born Kirkcaldy, Fife,
Scotland (1728), died London (1792).
- Garland (1774-1780), stone carving, Robert
Adam (1728-1792). Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England: Top left
panel at SW corner of the facade of the Town Hall. A garland with a mask surrounded by
musical instruments, including baroque-style recorders.
Aelteste Volkstedter
Aelteste Volkstedter has been making traditional German porcelain monkey band figures for well over 100 years now. Like the Italian Comedy figures, porcelain monkey band figures are extremely collectible today and remain as popular now as they were when they were introduced in the mid-18th Century. Also clown bands, dwarf bands, vagabond bands, moorish bands, animal band, cat band, frog band, etc.
- Monkey Musician (21st century), figurine, Meissen porcelain, Aelteste Volkstedter (contemporary)
Ref. Website: The Best Things (2007 - col.)
A standing monkey plays a pipe which may be a duct-flute, possibly a recorder.
Jorge Affonso
Portuguese painter of church banners and altarpieces who held a
key position in Portuguese art of the first half of the 16th
century; born (?1470-1475), died Lisbon (1540).
- Adoration of the Shepherds (1515), attributed to Jorge Afonso (?1470-1540). Detail.
Lisbon: Convento da Madre de Deus. Ref. Recorder
Magazine 18(4): front cover (1999, col.); Rowland-Jones
(1999: 127-128, fig. 2 – b&w); Vilardell (2007: 12). Surrounded by hovering
angels singing and playing viol, pipe and tambour, and lute, the
shepherds pay homage to the holy infant. In the foreground, in
front of one of the kneeling shepherds, is a basket of eggs on
top of which is a small cylindrical duct-flute (quite possibly a
recorder).
Agostino [di Antonio] di Duccio
Italian sculptor and architect; the most original if not the greatest sculptor of his time, and the only 15th century sculptor born in Florence who owed little to Donatello or Ghiberti; his fresh and lively style was linear and graceful with distinctive swirling draperies; born Florence (1418), died ? Perugia (p.1481).
- Glory of St Bernardino, sculpture and bas-relief, Agostino di Duccio (1418-p.1481).
Perugia: Oratorio di San Bernardino, facade. Ref. La
Rassegua Musicale 5 (July 1928); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000); Della Porta & Genovesi (2000: 145, pl. 6 - b&w & pl. 32 - b&w); Jenny & Christopher Maguire (ex Rowland-Jones 2006); Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.)
The sculptures depict the life of St Bernadino who brought good government of the previously feuding city of Perugia – one of the scenes is a Bonfire of the Vanities in which St Bernardino, ringed by fire, is surrounded by seraphim and musical angels. The musical angels are in two identical series on the left and right of the typanum. In each series, one angel plays a duct-flute probably intended to represent a recorder: it's profile is conical, the window/labium is clearly visible, and the lowermost finger-hole is offset. The other angels in each series sing and play bagpipe and ?shawm.
On each of the two columns beneath the typanum there are six angels, beautifully carved, in graceful positions and with swirling drapery, as multi-cloured marble and terracotta bas-reliefs. Not all of the latter have instruments, though on the right two on one panel play nakers and triangle, the two below play vielle and psaltery, and the bottom pair play lute and tambourine. Our interest is in the second down of the three outward-facing panels on the left (North) shaft with two angels, two of whom seem to be singing. The one on the left beats a small frame-drum with the fingers of the right hand. The other holds a tambourine in her right hand and a soprano-sized duct-flute (window/labium visible) in her left, held gracefuly between the first and third fingers. The instrument is slightly outwardly conical with no bell flare, but the sculptor shows the open end of a wide-ish bore. The angel's second finger lies along where one would expect the lower finger-holes but reveals what appears to be a lowermost finger-hole, offset to the player's right. In this position it would not be possible to see a corresponding paired little-finger-hole if there were one (as we would expect). Agostino seems to have intended this to be a recorder. Some of his instruments, such as the vielle, are very carefully shown. As the sculptured angels are in marble they probably have never needed retouching by restorers.
- Musica, relief, Agostino di Duccio (1418-p.1481).
Rimini: Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco), Cappella delle Arti Liberali. Ref.
Winternitz (1979: 44-46, pl. 5a). "She [Music] is singing and
holding two instruments, one a flute à bec and the
other … a cetra" (Winternitz, loc. cit.) Even Homer
nods! The wind instrument here is narrowly conical and has a
strangely offset finger-hole second from the end. However, no
window/labium or beak are depicted. Indeed, there seems to be a
very clearly illustrated reed (without a pirouette), making this
a shawm rather than a duct-flute.
- Angels with Tambourine and Recorder, marble relief, Agostino di Duccio (1418-p.1481).
Rimini: Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco), Chapel of Isotta degli Atti.
Ref. Della Porta & Genovesi (2000: 145, pl. 6 - b&w); Bridgeman Art Library (2003: Image BEN 85125 - col.)
A standing angel plays a tambourine (with jingle rings) and a putto plays a slender, flared-bell pipe, quite possibly a recorder. Another putto seated in the foreground has picked a flower.
- Putti on a barge (ca 1454), relief, Agostino di Duccio (1418-p.1481).
Rimini: Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco), Chapel of the Infants.
Ref. Della Porta & Genovesi (2000: 149, pl. 16 - b&w).
Three putti on a barge play tambourine and small and large duct-flutes respectively. Although that on the left is held in the little player's left hand only, 7 finger-holes are visible the lowermost of which is offset indicating that this is a recorder. In the foreground two putti stradle rocks, holding on to some reeds for dear life. A couple of ducks swim in front of them. The Chapel was completed in 1454.
- Putti playing pipes, relief, Agostino di Duccio (1418-p.1481).
Rimini: Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco), Chapel of the Infants.
Ref. Della Porta & Genovesi (2000: 148, pl. 15 - b&w).
Three winged putti stand on a sarcophagus. One, with his back to us, plays a triangle; the other two play slender pipes, possible duct-flutes.
Agostino Veneziano [Agostino dei Musi] (1490-1540),
Italian
- The Old Shepherd, Agostino Veneziano (1490-1540). Ref.
Bartsch (1854-1870, 14: 307/408). Landscape with a bearded
shepherd lying playing a slender duct-flute (described as a
petit flageolet by Bartsch (loc. cit.), the window/labium
and ? five holes showing. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers.
com., 2000).
- The Old Shepherd, Agostino Veneziano (1490-1540). Ref.
Bartsch (1854-1870, 14: 308/409). Landscape with a bearded
shepherd lying playing a slender duct-flute (described as a
petit flageolet by Bartsch (loc. cit.), the window/labium
and ? five holes showing. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers.
com., 2000).
Martin Agricola, originally Martin Sore, or Sohr
German composer, teacher, and writer on music; born Schwiebus,
Silesia [now in Poland] (1486), died Magdeburg, Archbishopric of
Magdeburg [Germany] (1556).
- [Recorder Quartet] (1529 & 1545), from
Musica Instrumentalis Deudsch, Martin Agricola
(1486-1556). Published in Wittenberg in 1529 and again in 1545.
Ref. Linde (1962/1974: 53); Hettrick (1980-1983). Shows a very
similar quartet to that of Virdung (see below).
- [Recorder Duo] (1529 & 1545), from
Musica Instrumentalis Deudsch, Martin Agricola
(1486-1556). Published in Wittenberg in 1529 and again in 1545.
Ref. Hettrick (1980-1983).
- [Fingering Chart for Recorders and Crumhorns] (1529 & 1545), from
Musica Instrumentalis Deudsch, Martin Agricola
(1486-1556). Published in Wittenberg in 1529 and again in 1545.
Ref. Hettrick (1980-1983).
Francesco Albani (1578-1660), Italian
Italian painter and draughtsman; distinguished artist of the
Bolognese school, deeply influenced by Annibale Carracci’s
classicism, painting altarpieces, frescoes and and cabinet
pictures; his fame rests on his idyllic landscapes and small
mythological pictures, the lyrical qualities of which earned him
the soubriquet 'the Anacreon of painters'; born Bologna (1578),
died Bologna (1660).
- Landscape with Adoration of the Shepherds, Francesco
Albani (1578-1660). Rome: Galleria Doria Pamphili, Cat. i27. Ref.
Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). A commmission of
Carraci's, completed after his death by Albani. At the top of the
picture is a very small semicircle of seated musical angels
singing and playing lute, two small pipes, and ?violin. The
pipes, each played by an angel, are of the same length and held
in a recorder-playing position. Both play left-hand uppermost
with the right hand (visible on one of the pipes) fairly close to
the foot, which has a slight flare.
- Assumption of the Virgin, attributed to Francesco
Albani (1578-1660). Toledo: Cathedral. Ref. Ibañez &
Gallego (1972: 203). "The cathedral of Toledo has an Albani,
attributed by Perez Sanchez, that depicts the Assumption of
the Virgin, the angel musicians of which echo those in works
by Reni (1610) and Lanfranco. "In the Toledo Assumption,
two angels of the first play lute and viol, and … other
musicians play viola da braccio and duct-flute, all of them
perfectly in accord with those of Reni" (translated from
Ibañez & Gallego, loc. cit.)
- A Woman Listening to a Satyr Piping, oil on panel, 19.4 × 29.2 cm, in the style of Francesco
Albani (1578-1660).
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Royal Collection, Inv. RCIN 403005.
A naked woman leans dreamily on her elbow listening to a satyr who plays a conical pipe, possibly a recorder. Behind the satyr, a putto seems to be falling out of a tree.
Antonio Alberti [Alberti da Ferrara, Antonio di Guido]
Italian painter and frescoist who worked in Ferrara, Montone, Bologna,
Urbino, and Carpi; born ? Ferrara (ca 1395), died a. 1449.
- The Madonna of Humility with Music-making
Angels and a Male Donor, tempera on gold ground panel, 31.7 × 31.7 cm, Antonio
Alberti (ca 1395 - a. 1449). Location unknown: auctioned
Christie's (New York), Sale 1194, Old Master Paintings, 24 January 2003, Lot 26 (sold).
Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.)
A donor offers praise to the Madonna and Child
above whom angels sing and play lute and an ambiguous pipe with a
flared bell. Formerly attributed to the Venetian artist Jacobello del Fiori (1370-1439.
Alessandro & Giovanni Alberti
Italian brothers, both painters. Alessandro is credited with painting the long walls of the Galleria degli Antichi, Palazzo del Te, Sabbioneta with a fictive architectural scheme supporting decorative motifs derived from his studies in Rome; born Borgo San Sepolcro, now Sansepolcro (1525), died 1598; brother of Cherubino (1553-1615)and Giovanni Alberti. Giovanni is credited with the design of the architectural perspectives in the fresco decorations he painted in collaboration with his brothers; also painted putti and ornamental figures; he painted the fictive colonnades on the end walls of the Galleria degli Antichi; born Borgo San Sepolcro (1558), died Rome (1601); brother of Alessandro and Cherubino (1553-1615) Alberti.
- Trophy (1584-1586), fresco, Alessandro Alberti (1525-1598) & Giovanni Alberti (1558-1601) and assistants.
Sabbioneta: Palazzo del Giardino, Galleria degli Antichi, near North end of the West side.
Ref. Charles Rowland-Jones (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 2006).
A trophy of musical instruments with a slender duct-flute, rather like the one in Titian's Concert Champêtre in the Louvre, with little or (more likely) no bell flare. The central part of the instrument, which lies right across the trophy at the angle of a clock's hands at twenty-past-nine, is obscured by the other instruments but three, perhaps four, finger-holes are visible in the upper part of the body, despite the mêlée.
- Trophy, (1584-1586), fresco, Alessandro Alberti (1525-1598) & Giovanni Alberti (1558-1601) and assistants.
Sabbioneta: Palazzo del Giardino, Galleria degli Antichi, ca half way along the West side.
Ref. Charles Rowland-Jones (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 2006).
A trophy of musical instruments based primarily on a wind-instrument case, long enough to hold tenor instruments and spacious enough to hold up to six of them. It is roughly rectangular – it is viewed horizontally but nevertheless one sees the openings at the top – and apparently made of unstained leather. Out of the top protrude some four or five instruments, probably straight cornetts. However, the sixth instrument on the left-hand side is clearly a duct-flute, sticking out about 3-4 inches if it were an alto recorder, at an angle not quite face-on so that you can see the inner curve of the mouthpiece up to the windway entrance. This may be a portable case belonging to a member of the town waits who played alto or tenor parts. During the day, waits played cornetts and sackbuts, but in the still hours of night they moderated their signal playing by switching to recorders.
Mariotto [di Biagio di Bindo] Albertinelli
Italian painter associated with Fra Bartolomeo, and an artist
whose style upheld the principles of the High Renaissance in
Florence a decade after its leading exponents had moved to Rome;
born Florence (1474), died Florence (1515).
- Annunciation to the Virgin (1510), wood, 335 ×
230 cm, Mariotto Albertinelli (1474-1515). Florence: Galleria
dell' Academia, Inv. (1890) 8643. Ref. Freedberg (1961: fig.
259); Burlington Magazine 113 (1971: 363); Borgo (1976,
cat 1, 20: pl. 29); Humfrey & Kemp (1990: 132, pl. 71);
Bonsanti (1992: 9-col.); Visual Collection, Fine Arts Library,
Harvard University, 372.Al14.31A; Rasmussen (1999b, 1999c);
Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). From the Company of San Zanobi
in the Chapter House of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence.
Commissioned and begun 1506; delivered and dated 1510; has been
drastically cleaned. Christ appears over the central scene with
angel musicians playing harp, lute, viola da braccia, tambourine,
and (in centre place) a tenor-sized cylindrical duct-flute. The
mouthpiece of the latter is beaked, a shadow represents the
window/labium area, possibly three finger-holes are visible on
the lower part, and there is a slight flare at the bell, so this
is very likely a recorder. Notes (in part) by Anthony
Rowland-Jones (pers. comm, 2000).
Pictor Albertus [Albert the Painter]
Sweden's most renowned medieval artist to whom have been linked over 30 large and densely populated painting sequences of biblical scenes – some signed, but most identified through his distinctively luxuriant style and rich range of colours; also a liturgical embroiderer and organist; he was the head of a workshop and had many collaborators; he was possibly of German origin; active 1440/45 - 1509.
- The Wheel of Fortune (ca 1470), fresco, Pictor Albertus (op. 1440/45-1509).
Härkeberga, Uppland (Sweden): Kyrka, star vault (ceiling).
Ref. RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).
Fortune's wheel crushes members of the nobility to an accompaniment provided by a musician who plays a drum with one hand and a cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) with six finger-holes in the other (Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.) Other instruments depicted elsewhere in this ceiling fresco include lute, fiddle and bagpipe. The Church was built in the 14th century. The porch and three star vaults were added in the late 15th century, both decorated by Albertus Pictor. These paintings are considered to be among the most important and best preserved late-medieval plaster-paintings in Sweden.
Alessandro Albini
Italian painter, pupil of Annibal Lodovico Agostino Carracci; born 1580, died 1646.
- St Cecilia, engraving, Domenico Maria Fratta (1696-1763) & Giovanni Fabbri (op. 1736 - m. 1777) after Alessandro Albini (1580-1646).
Ref. Negro & Pirondini (1994, 1: 39); Rasmussen (2002, Lute).
"She holds a portative organ (upside-down, a la Raphael). At her feet are a lute (rendered in deep perspective), a recorder, and perhaps a slender flute. Angels above play lute, flute (tapering a bit like a straight trumpet) and tambourine" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Balthazar Augustin Albrecht
German painter and administrator; his works are mostly of sacred subjects, including many schurch frescoes; born Berg am Starnberger (1687), died Munich (1756).
- Dancing Children, Balthazar Augustin Albrecht (1687-1756).
Munich: Alte Pinakothek, Schloß Schleissheim, Inv. 1731.
Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002).
"A child seated in the centre of a ring of children, some naked, dancing with raised joined hands, plays a soprano/alto sized recorder. His cheeks and lips are relaxed; the fingers of his upper (right) hand are all down; fingers 1 and 4 of the left hand ar raised, and the hole shows under the little finger. The instrument is cylindrical, perhaps narrowing slightly by the little finger before a short bell flare. This is one of a pair of overdoor painings which, with many others, were part of the original palace decoration – in this case for the Yellow Room in the Electress' Appartments. The other is of children playing at dice and shuttlecock – and quarrelling" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Juan Alemàn (15th century), Spanish
- Door of the Lions: Angel Musicians (1452-1465), Juan
Alemàn (15th century). Toledo: Cathedral, South entrance.
Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). “The doorway
itself was designed by Master Hanequin of Brussels and built from
1452-1465. There are three courses of angel musicians on small
plinths within the Gothic framework of the portal. Four include
possible recorders.
“One group has a hurdy-gurdy, a damaged instrument which
looks like a lute, and a single pipe held vertically but with no
detailing visible. Another group has two seated angels, one with
a triangle (with beater) and two ring snares, another with what
looks like a small portative organ. Behind them a standing angel
plays a pipe in the shape of a recorder, with a Virdung-type
bell.
“A group of two angels, in the middle course near the point
of the arch, play a single pipe and a double pipe. The single
pipe shows three finger-holes before the hands, which are close
together. The bell end may be damaged. A mark near the mouthpiece
is almost certainly a window/labium.
“A group of two angels at lower right play two larger wind
instruments, one with a fontanelle which looks like a shawm as
the bell end is very extended and flared. The other angel plays a
long pipe with the slightly flared bell end at mid-thigh level,
and both hands centrally placed. There is no sign of a
window/labium and the whole of the blowing end appears to be in
the angel's mouth. Of the four, this is the least likely to be a
recorder” (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Antonio Aleotti
Italan artist born and educated artistically in the Ferrara area; active from 1494, died ca 1530.
- Virgin and Child, Antonio Aleotti (op. 1494 - m. ca 1530). Argenta:
Museo Civico, Pinacoteca e Museo Archeologico. Ref. Baltramelli (1905: 91); Mezzetti (1964,
fig. 15); Rasmussen (1999b). A putto on the left of the central figures plays a lute
and one on the right plays a slender cylindrical pipe, probably a duct-flute (possibly a recorder).
David Allan Jr
The "Scottish Hogarth", painter and book illustrator, famous for
his studies of science and people both in Italy, where he
travelled, and Edinburgh, where he settled in 1780; illustrator
of Burns's work, for Ramsay's The Gentle Shepherd, and for
an edition of James Thomson's Seasons (the latter never
published), he excelled in his handling of peasant life and
costume, and is much admired for the truth with which he
delineated nature, and the characteristic humour which
distinguished his pictures, drawings, and etchings; born Alloa
(1744), died Edinburgh (1796).
- Portrait of the Artist's Father (1760), pen
and ink drawing, 20 × 15 cm, David Allan (1744-1796).
Edinburgh: National Gallery of Modern Art.
Ref. Smith (1969); Recorder Magazine 27(2): front cover - b&w (2007); Galbriath (2007 - b&w).
Depicts the artist's father, also David Allen, holding a baroque alto recorder with
ivory mounts during leisure time as shore-master in the small
harbour of Alloa, Central Scotland. Until the nineteenth century the sketch was accompanied by the recorder shown in the drawing. Unfortunately, the instrument no longer exists due to woodworm damage.
Alessandro Allori [Alessandro Bronzino, Alessandro di
Cristofano di Lorenzo Allori]
Italian painter of the Florentine school; one of the last notable
exponents of Mannerism, painting in a style that had become
outmoded by the time of his death; born Florence (1535), died
Florence (1607); father of the painter Cristofano Allori
(1577-1621).
- Allegorical Portrait of a Young Man in the Guise of Mercury Slaying Argus, oil on panel, 144.78 cm × 88.9 cm, Alessandro Allori (1535-1607).
Cambridge (USA): Fogg Art Museum, 2000.272.
Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2000 - col.)
As Argus lies sleeping on the ground, watched by Io (as a
heifer), a triumphant Mercury does a victory dance with his
caduceus in one hand and his recorder in the other. The recorder
is clearly recognizable by its beak, window/labium and gently
conical body. Several finger-holes are visible, but the foot is
out of frame.
J. Alsina (op. 1900), French
- Children Listen to a Shepherd Playing a Flute, oil on canvas, 69.6 × 60.5 cm, J. Alsina (op. 1900).
Private Collection.
Bridgeman Art Library (2002: Image ID BAL 98638 - col.)
Two young children and their older sister sit beside a path in the middle of a field listing to an elderly bearded shepherd playing a pipe (probably a flageolet, but possibly a recorder.
Albrecht Altdorfer [Altdorffer]
German painter and graphic artist, the leading exponent of the
so-called Danube School; born ca 1480, died Regensburg (1538).
- The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (1510), oil on wood, 57 × 38 cm, Albrecht Altdorfer (ca 1480-1538).
Berlin: Picture Gallery, No. 638B.
Ref. Walter Bergman, Slide Collection (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 2005 - col.); Klessmann (1971: 94-95, pl.-col.); Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz (1968: 11, pl. 11-b&w).
The Virgin rests on a throne-lke chair by a richly ornate fountain, while Joseph proffers a basket of cherries. Two putti perch on the rim of the fountain's basin playing a small rebec and a cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) and the child Jesus tries to reach into the water. Beyond the fountain the shores of a lake stretch far away, shores crowded with gateways, roads and towers, houses, ruins and decaying roofs.
Sunol Alvar
Contemporary Spanish (Catalan) painter, draughtsman, print-maker and sculptor living and working in Tiana, near Barcelona; known largely for his lithography; Barcelona, Paris, now Tiana; exhibited throughout the world; unique and distinctive style in which textures are superimposed on upon images and images upon other images to create illusions of translucency and immateriality; many of his works depict angel-women, virgin-muses, celestial musicians and poets in idyllic scenes; born Montgat (1935),
- Figures with Dove, lithograph, Sunol Alvar (1935 –).
East Lansing, Michigan: Saper Galleries.
One person holds a dove on her shoulder whilst another plays a slender pipe with a flared bell. The bent thumb of the left hand and the use of all four fingers of the right hand to cover their holes suggests a recorder. Identical to Flute and Muse (see below), but here the overall tone is cyan.
- Flute and Muse, lithograph, 23.5 × 30.5 cm,, Sunol Alvar (1935 –).
USA: Intrinsic Values Fine Art (2007 - col.)
Identical to Figure with Dove (see above), but here the overall tone is violet.
- Violin and Flute, lithograph, Sunol Alvar (1935 –)
East Lansing, Michigan: Saper Galleries.
One person plays a violin and another a slender pipe with a flared bell. The disposition of the fingers and thumb suggests a recorder.
- Imatges de Varema, embossed lithograph with hand-watercolored panoramic tableau, 63.5 × 36.2 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935 –).
East Lansing, Michigan: Saper Galleries.
Two lovers stand on a wall, one holding a bunch of flowers. A mother and child gaze up at them. A figure at a table plays a narrowly cylindrical pipe, possibly a recorder.
- Blue Sinfonia, embossed lithograph with water-colored border, 50.8 × 73.7 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935 –).
East Lansing, Michigan: Saper Galleries.
A woman places a leafy branchlet on a large sheet of paper (as if to preparing a herbarium specimen). She is serenaded by musicians playing a mandolin and a slender pipe with a flared bell, possibly a recorder.
- Dawn Concert, embossed lithograph in 14 colors with watercolored panel, 80 × 60 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935 –).
East Lansing, Michigan: Saper Galleries.
In a field of tulips, a woman greets the dawn, her arms upstretched. Floating above a town, three musicians sing and play violin and a narrowly cylindrical pipe, possibly a recorder.
- Noon Concert, embossed lithograph in 14 colors with watercolored panel, 60 × 80", Sunol Alvar (1935 –).
East Lansing, Michigan: Saper Galleries.
A figure places a dove on a table on which is a vase of flowers. Musicians play cello and a slender pipe with a flared bell, possibly a recorder.
- Red Concert, oil on board, 35.6 × 45.8 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935 –).
East Lansing, Michigan: Saper Galleries.
Against a red background, musicians play mandolin and a slender pipe with a flared bell, possibly a recorder.
- Concert for Fruits, painting, Sunol Alvar (1935 –)
Nevada: ArtBrokerage.com (2007).
A figure plays a cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder), watched by a second figure standing before a table on which is placed a bowl of fruit.
- Night Concert, embossed lithograph in 14 colors
Paper size: 56.5 × 48.3 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935–).
East Lansing: Saper Galleries (2007 - col.)
Two panels. On the left, one person embraces another playing a narrowly cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder), a town with a church in the background. On the right, a pianist plays from an open score of music by Chopin, a second figure looking over the player's shoulder.
- Figures with Flute and Fruit, drawing, 26.7 × 35.9 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935–).
East Lansing: Saper Galleries (2007 - col.)
A figure plays a slender pipe with a flared bell, a second figure looks over the player's shoulder. On a shelf behind them is a slice of melon, and other fruit.
- Trio, from Lyric Suite, embossed lithograph, 24.5 × 32 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935–).
East Lansing: Saper Galleries (2007 - col.)
Three musicans play piano, violin, and a slender, flared-bell pipe (possibly a recorder).
- Two Ladies with Flute and Dove, 60 × 60 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935–).
Scotsdale, California: S R Brennen Galleries (2003 - col.)
Depicts three ladies: one holds a dove, another plays a narrowly cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder, judging by the disposition of the fingers). The 'dove' looks more like a dog with a blue head!
- Peace Concert, 66 × 60 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935–).
Scotsdale, California: S R Brennen Galleries (2003 - col.)
Depicts three ladies: one holds a dove, one plays a narrowly cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder), a third plays the cello.
- Two People with Flute and Violin, drawing, 28 × 25.4 cm, Sunol Alvar (1935–).
Scotsdale, California: S R Brennen Galleries (2003 - b&w).
One figure plays the violin, another a narrowly cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder).
Carlo Amalfi
Italian painter working in Sorrento; his works include sacred and secular themes as well as portraits; born Vico (1707), died 1787.
- Musical Gathering (ca 1725), Carlo Amalfi (1707-1787). Detail.
Milan: Sforza Castle, Picture Gallery.
Ref. Lindley (1971: 208 - b&w); Moeck (1983: July, col.); Moeck, Celle: TIBIA,
– Musikbilder auf Postkarten, Series (2), Moeck Nr. 1101
(col.). A group of beautifully attired male and female musicians
pose around their harpsichord holding their instruments which
include mandora, guitar, cittern, violin and a baroque
three-piece alto recorder. Several of the women appear to be
singers. This has also been attributed to an unknown Neapolitan
master. There is another version in Naples.
- Musical Gathering (ca 1725), canvas, 180 x 240 cm,
Carlo Amalfi (early 18th century). Naples: Museum of Ancient Art
(donation from Carolina Buschini, 1929). Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999).
A group of beautifully attired male and female musicians pose
around their harpsichord holding their instruments which include
mandora, guitar, cittern, violin and a baroque three-piece alto
recorder. Several of the women appear to be singers. This has
also been attributed to an unknown Neapolitan master. There is
another version in Milan.
Pomponio Amalteo
Italian artist; born Motta di Livenza, Treviso (1505), died S.
Vittore al Tagliamento (1588).
- Angel Musicians (ca 1538), fresco, Pomponio Amalteo (1505-1588).
Prodolone, Friuli: S. Vito al Tagliamento, cupola.
Ref. Cohen (1975: 64-67); Paolo Biordi (pers. comm., 2002).
One putto plays a transverse flute. To his right another holds a
cylindrical pipe with a slight flare towards the foot, possibly a
duct-flute. To the flautist's left a third putto sits with his
back to us.
- Angel Musicians (ca 1538), preparatory design,
Pomponio Amalteo (1505-1588). UK: Private Collection. Ref. Cohen
(1975: 64-67); Paolo Biordi (pers. comm., 2002).
Preparatory design for Chiesa di S. Maria delle Grazie, Prodolone,
S. Vito al Tagliamento. One putto plays a pipe and tabor and two
play long, slightly conical pipes. No details of the latter or
visible, but all four fingers of one of one of the player's
lowermost hands are covering their holes, so these may represent
recorders.
Pietro di Giovanni d'Ambrogio – see Pietro
Pseudo Ambrogio di Baldese (15th century), Italian
(Florentine)
- Coronation of the Virgin, tempera on panel, 56 ×
40 cm, attributed to Pseudo Ambrogio di Baldese (early 15th
century). Rome: Pinacoteca Capitolina, PC 349. Possibly part of a
polyptych. The style is late Tuscan medieval with much gold.
Angels look on as the Virgin is crowned. On each side of the
throne two angels play cylindrical pipes with prominently flared
bells. One is an alto played right hand lowermost with seven
finger-holes visible, and three fingers of the left hand lifted.
The second is a tenor decorated with a complex diamond-shaped
pattern; it is played left hand lowermost with six finger-holes
in line visible, plus a seventh offset to the player's right, and
two fingers of the righ-hand lifted. A third angel standing
behind a kneeling angel in the bottom right foreground, also
plays a pipe, of which only the mouthpiece and a small part below
are visible. A recorder trio is clearly a possibility here.
As the instruments are in profile, the artist does not show the
window/labium with any clarity, if at all.
Irving Amen
American artist genre, still-life, religious works, producing murals, paintings, woodcuts, etchings, sculpture, stained glass, silk-screen prints; A positive attitude, love of mankind, and religious background emanate from his work; born New York (1918). Artists Home Page.
- Musicians, oil, 61 × 76 cm, Irving Amen (1918-).
A young girl listens to a boy playing a red guitar, another playing a neo-baroque alto recorder, a girl playing an ambiguous pipe (possibly a second recorder).
- Flute Player and Dog, woodcut, 86 × 46 cm, Irving Amen (1918-).
Ref. PicassoMio (2005).
A young girl walks beside her dog, playing a slender, cylindrical duct-flute (probably meant to be a recorder).
- Flutist (ca 1970), silk-screen print, Irving Amen (1918-).
Ref. Art of the Print (2005).
A young boy plays a slender, cylindrical duct-flute (probably meant to be a recorder, though there are rather more holes than fingers).
Jacopo [Giacomo] Amigoni [Amiconi]
Italian Rococo painter and etcher active in Venice, Bavaria,
England, Flanders, France and Spain; for a time was court painter
to Ferdinand VI of Spain; his works include portraits, decorative
frescoes for churches and palaces, historical and mythological
subjects; many were reproduced in prints, and these served as
models for tapestries and for the decoration of clocks, wardrobes
and porcelain; born Naples (1675), died Madrid (1752).
- Three Putti-Angels (? 1736-9), framed painting over a
door, Jacopo Amigoni (1675-1752). Richmond: Hampton Court Palace,
The Queen's Bedroom. Two of the putti hold a sheep and the third
(at right) plays a short soprano pipe. The finger-position
suggests a recorder, but the window/labium area is in shadow. The
instrument is slightly outwardly conical. The right hand is held
lowermost. There is no flare or decoration at the bell. All the
angels are shown with the same chubby cheeks, as if puffed.
- Fête in a Garden, Jacopo Amigoni (1675-1752).
Madrid: Prado, Inv. 2477. Ref. Ibañez & Gallego (1972:
245 & pl. - col.); Paris RIdIM (1999). Four gentleman
musicians two of whom play horn, one the cello and another a
flared-bell pipe of alto/tenor size (oboe or recorder). The
musicians are said to include portraits of Farinelli and Domenico
Scarlatti. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001).
- Mercury and Argus, Jacopo Amigoni (1675-1752).
Dresden: Stadtmuseum. Detail.
Leaning against a dead tree, Mercury pipes
to Argus who sits in front of a white heifer (Io). Mercury's pipe
is an alto-size duct-flute with a beak and a small window/labium,
but no finger-holes visible. The lower right-hand is fairly high
up the instrument, so one would expect finger-holes to be
visible. There is a short but sharp bell flare. A recorder seems
more likely than a large flageolet (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
- Mercury and Argus (1729-1736), mural, Jacopo Amigoni (1675-1752). Detail.
Moor Park (Heartfordshire): Entrance Hall, opposite main entrance.
Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007).
Moor Park as built from 1720 for Benjamin Styles who was advised by Sir James Thornhill. However, the actual architect was more probably Giacomo Leoni who also built Lyme Park. The Entrance Hall is the main room, going up the full height of the house, with a balcony all round at first-floor level. It has four large oil paintings by Giacomo (or Jacopo) Amigoni, who lived in Engalnd from 1729 to 1736), illustrating the story of Io, from Ovid. In this mural Mercury plays a pipe as Argus watches. The pipe is alto-sized, fairly slender, but with an expanding bell. The playing position is as if for a recorder.
- Putti Making Music, painting, Jacopo Amigoni (1647-1752).
Location unknown: auctioned 10 December 2004 (unsold).
Ref. Gabrius Databank (2007 - col.)
A winged putto plays tambourine (with jingle rings); another (wingless) holds a pipe covering the head with his left hand leaving only the body and four finger-holes clearly visible.
- Hearing (1764), faience tiles, 220 × 142 cm (total of 187 tiles, each tile side length of 13 cm) after an engraving by Jacopo Amigoni (1647-1752).
Hamburg: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Inv. 1874.86a.
Ref. RIdM Munich (2009, Hmkg - 21).
One of 4 painted designs from Rotterdam after engravings by Amigoni forming a sequence of the Five Senses.
In the foreground is a gallant scene in the park of a castle. A standing man at the right plays a recorder; a couple sing from a music book; and a sitting couple, the man holding a small recorder (galoubet) in his hand. Not seen.
Jost Amann [Amman]
Swiss draughtsman, woodcutter, engraver, etcher and painter,
perhaps the most prolific book illustrator of his day; valued for
his depictions of everyday life, including a wealth of evidence
on contemporary crafts and techniques; born Zurich (1539), died
1591.
- Title Page of Zinkfeisen Kirchen Gesäng … by
Eucharias, published by Sigmund Feyerabend, Frankfurt im Main (1584): David Dancing before the Ark / Transporting the Ark of the Covenant (1584), woodcut, Jost Amman (1539-1591).
Ref. Fraenkel (1968: pl. 48); Early Music 2 (1974, January: front cover); Rice (1992: fig. 1.3); Archiv Moeck; Paris RIdIM (1999); Rasmussen (2002, Lute).
The highly ornamented border includes a window at the bottom in which David
plays his harp accompanied by musicians playing lute, viola da braccio,
buisines, cornetts, trumpets and kettledrums. A young woman kneeling
plays a cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder); a man standing
plays a flared bell recorder with the right hand lowermost and
the window/labium clearly shown.
- Musica (1579), print by Jost Amman (1539-1591) from a household book of Bernhard Ketzler (Mainz). Nuremberg:
Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Inv. HS 140 350. Ref. Catalogue,
German National Museum, Nuremberg (?date: HS 140 350); Munich
RIdIM (1999: Ngm 700). Music plays a portative organ, below which
are a shawm and a conical duct-flute with 5 finger-holes, possibly intended to represent a recorder.
The same image appears in editions dated 1589 and 1750.
Antonio (Mercurio) Amorosi
Italian painter and fresoist; primarily a genre painter, but also
provided altarpieces for Roman churches; born Comunanza, near
Ascoli Piceno (1660), died (1738).
- Boy Playing a Flute (a. 1710, oil on canvas, 36 × 26 cm,
Antonio Amorosi (ca 1660 - p. 1736).
Nancy: Musée des Beaux-Arts.
Against a black background, a small boy with a distinctive "widow's peak" and wearing a jacket tied across the chest plays a cylindrical duct-flute
(flageolet or recorder), possibly a recorder given that the
little finger of the lowermost (left) hand is shown covering its
hole.
- Boy Playing a Flute, oil on canvas, 35.6 × 25.4 cm, Antonio Amorosi (ca 1660 - p. 1736).
Location unknown: exhibited Gallery Lasson, London, May-July 1968.
Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) Against a landscape background, a small boy with a
distinctive "widow's peak" and wearing a jacket completely open at the chest plays a cylindrical duct-flute
(flageolet or recorder), possibly a recorder given that the
little finger of the lowermost (left) hand is shown covering its
hole.
- An Old Shepherd Playing a Flute to a Young
Shepherd, oil on canvas Antonio Amorosi (ca 1660 - p.
1736). Location unknown: Auctioned by Christie's, 4 December 1991
(unsold). Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) Beneath a
rocky overhang, an old man sits on a ledge playing a small
flared-bell pipe to a young lad sitting opposite him leaning on a
basket. In the background can be seen a town. The piper's hand
and finger-positions are perfect for recorder playing and the
little finger of his lowermost (left) hand is covering its hole,
so this may well represent a recorder.
Alexander Anderson
US American painter, draughtsman, and engraver; pioneer of wood engraving in America; born New York City (1775); died Jersey City (1870).
- [Lovers under a tree], wood engraving,
7.8 × 6.1 cm (image), Alexander Anderson (1775-1870). San
Francisco: de Young Museum, Inv. 1963.30.25969. A woman
dances, watched by a man who sits beneath a tree holding a
walking stick and a small flared-bell pipe, possibly a recorder.
Philip Anderson (contemporary), USA
- Cover: American Recorder 38(2): Untitled (1994),
Philip Anderson (contemporary). A stylised girl plays a stylised
recorder wreathed by a stylised cat under a stylised tree.
Sophie Anderson
French-born Pre-Raphaelite painter who lived and worked in
America, England and Capri; her works include genre paintings,
landscapes and portraits; born Paris (1823), died Falmouth
(1903); wife of English artist Walter Anderson.
- Shepherd
Piper (1881), oil on canvas, 30.5 × 35.90 cm, Sophie
Anderson (1823-1903). London: Fine Art Society (2001). Ref.
Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) A young boy sits on a
hillside playing a crudely made recorder. All three fingers of
the upper (right) hand cover their holes, and the little finger
is touching the instrument. The first finger of the lower (left)
hand is raised above its hole; fingers two and three cover their
holes, and the little finger is raised awkwardly, the lowermost
hole clearly visible. This painting is currently for sale.
Thor Andersson (1896-1941), Swedish
- Musician, drypoint, 25 × 17 cm, Thor Andersson
(1896-1941). Stockholm: Museum of Modern Art, NM G 170/1959. Ref.
RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 200).
An old man in his suit begs at the roadside, playing an
ambiguous pipe (6-holed pipe, recorder), his hat on the ground
before him. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Andrea del Sarto [Andrea d'Agnolo di Francesco]
Italian painter whose epithet 'del sarto' (of the tailor) is
derived from his father's profession, he excelled at fresco and
painted superb altar-pieces; held to be one of the greatest
masters of his time, his works are characterised by grandeur,
gracefulness and a feeling for colour and atmosphere; born
Florence (1486), died Florence (1530).
- The Holy Family with St John the Baptist, St Elizabeth and
two Angels, Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530). Munich: Bayerische
Staatsgemäldesammlung 501 (4150). Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999:
Mstag 571); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999); Paris RIdIM (2000, colour postcard).
Mary has her arm protectively around the infant Jesus as he is introduced to a
John. Behind Mary, a third child
looking heavenward, holds a small cylindrical recorder of which
the window/labium is clear with one finger-hole next to the
little finger of the upper (left) hand, and despite two
right-hand fingers down their finger-holes are visible beside
them, and three more can be seen below.
Hendrik [Manke Heyn] Andriessen
Flemish artist; born Antwerp (1607), died Zeeland (1655).
- Vanitas (1635), oil on canvas, 59 × 76 cm; Hendrik Andriessen
(1607-1655). Munich: Weinmüller auction, 7 May 1958, Lot 319.
Ref. Bernt (1948-1980, 4: pl. 2); Griffioen (1988: 438-9); Ruth van Baak Griffioen (pers. comm., 2001); Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie 11356 (2010-b&w).
On a table lie scattered a crown, a vase of flowers, a skull (upper part only), a candlestick, a sword, a watch, a purse, a nautilus shell, some stems of wheat, flowers, a violin, and a renaissance-style recorder. Of the latter, only the upper body and head can be seen, with its distinctive beak and window/labium, and the maker's mark. Bubbles float above.
- Vanitas Still-life with Portrait / Still-life with Negro (ca
1650), oil on canvas, 95 × 116 cm, Hendrik Andriessen (1607-1655).
Ithaca: Cornell University, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, 88.6; auctioned Colnaghi, London (1985); formerly London: Muensterberger Collection; formerly Brasted, Kent: Cohe (? private collection).
Ref. Museum de Lakenhal (1970: cover & #13); Pictura, Maastricht (1985 - pl.); Griffioen (1988: 440-441); Legêne (1995: 120, pl. 8 - b&w); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001); Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie 11370 (2010-b&w), The Hague ex Ruth van Baak Griffioen (pers. comm., 2003); Debra Pring (pers. comm., 2006).
Formerly attributed to Jacques de Gheyn III (ca 1596-1641) and David Bailly (1584-1657). On a round table are the upper part of a skull, books, papers, dice, an artist's palatte, an hourglass, smoking equipment, a watch, a candlestick, a statue of a dancing cherub, and a perfectly depicted hand-fluyt. Behind, on the right, a moorish boy holds an oval miniature portrait of the patron up for us to see. Soap bubbles float above.
Giuseppe Angeli
Italian painter of the late baroque, active mainly in Venice; born 1710, died 1798.
- Shepherd Lad with a Flute, oil on canvas, 71 ×
53 cm, Giuseppe Angeli (1710-1798) OR Domenico-Fedeli Maggiotto
(1713-1794). Stockholm: Stockholms Universitet, No. 64. Ref.
RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.,
2000). A shepherd leans on his left elbow holding a late-baroque
alto recorder in his right hand cradled in the crook of his left
elbow. The lower end of the recorder is out of frame.
- Recorder Player, oil on canvas, 480 × 570 cm, Giuseppe Angeli (1710-1798).
Venice: Galleria Civica di arte Medievale, Moderna e Contemporanea Vittorio Emanuele II, Inv. 488.
A boy in a brown cap leans slightly backwards holding a small baroque-style recorder in his left hand.
Shirley Venit Anger (contemporary), USA
Shirley Venit Anger won her first award in 1978. After receiving
many awards and honors in the years thereafter, her name was
entered into the International Who's Who of Contemporary Art in
1985, Cambridgeshire, England. Her latest achievements were the
First Prize winners at the Fiber [sic.], Pen and Brush Club for
1990, 1992, 1993 and 1995. Shirley Venit Anger graduated at
Cooper Union Art School in New York and gained her B.S. degree in
Art Education from New York University. She also taught at the
Brooklyn Museum Art School for six years.
- Recorder Player (1999), batik on silk, 26 × 34
cm, Shirley Venit Anger (contemporary). Ref. Web-site: Sarah's Gifts (no longer available).
A young girl plays a stylised, flared-bell recorder.
Christof [Christoph] Angermair
German ivory-carver and sculptor, the first in a line of
17th-century south German ivory-carvers who served the taste of
princely and aristocratic patrons for small-scale carvings for
their Kunstkammern; his works reveal a high degree of virtuosity
in which minute details are worked with a precision reminiscent
of the goldsmith’s art; born Weilheim, Bavaria (ca 1580),
died Munich (1633).
- Pan making Music with Shepherds, ivory relief carving from the coin cabinet of Elizabeth of Lorraine (made 1618-1624), 18 x 13 cm, Christof Angermair (17th century).
Detail 1 (columnar bass recorder), detail 2 (small flared-bell recorder).
Munich: Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung, Inv. R 4909.
Ref. Munrow (1976: 39-b&w); Early Music 22
(3): 449 – b&w (1994); Lêgene (2005: 343, pl. 9 - b&w); Munich RIdIM (2009, Mbnm - 205 a).
Pan, the shepherd's god, takes part in a pastoral concert, playing his syrinx. On the left in the foreground are a curved cornett, racket and bass recorder (of columnar design); on the right a trombone and a small flared-bell recorder. In the background are a small shawm, a flute and a crumhorn (played without a windcap). A small child in the foreground beats time.
Cornelis Anthonisz. [Cornelis Teunissen, Teunisz. or
Theunissen]
Netherlandish painter, etcher, designer of woodcuts, and
cartographer who experimented with anamorphosis (an ingenious
perspective technique used to give a distorted image of the
subject represented in a picture when seen from the usual
viewpoint, but so executed that if viewed from a particular
angle, or reflected in a curved mirror, the distortion disappears
and the image in the picture appears normal); also painted group
portraits; born ca 1499, died Amsterdam (1553); maternal grandson
of Jacob Cornelisz. van Ootsanen.
- De bras penning maal tijd (1533), oil on panel, 130 × 206.5 cm, Cornelis Anthonisz.
(ca 1499 - 1553). Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum. Ref. Fischer (1982:
42-43). Group portrait of a company of crossbowmen, around a
table. Whilst the man seated at the top right-hand corner of the table is taking what looks like a recorder out of its case, the man two his immediate right has the Discantus part of the song In mijnen sin in his hand.
Apollonio di Giovanni (di Tomaso) [Dido Master; Master of the
Jarves Cassoni; Virgil Master; Compagno di Pesellino]
Italian painter and illuminator influenced by Filippo Lippi,
Lorenzo Ghiberti and Paolo Uccello; for much of his working life,
from ca 1446 to 1458 and perhaps later, he was in partnership
with Marco del Buono di Marco (?1403–p.1480); specialized
in secular work, painting cassoni (rich and showy chests, which may be inlaid or carved, prepared with gesso ground then painted and gilded, usually given to a bride on her marriage), deschi da parto
(birth trays), spalliere (panels attached to furniture or set
into wall panelling), images for private devotion and other
furnishings, as well as illuminating manuscripts; born Florence
(ca 1416), died Florence (1465).
- The Banquet of Dido and Aeneas, cassone, attributed to
Apollonio di Giovanni (ca 1416-1465). Hannover: Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum.
Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). To the right of a
table with three diners set on a dais (eight other diners are at
two tables on each side of the steps up to the dais), two
musicians play a small lute and an alto-sized recorder. The
latter is held with all fingers on, left hand lowermost with the
little finger extended. The instrument itself is not clearly
depicted but seems to be cylindrical with a short, slight
bell-flare, possibly with an ornamental ring at the end. Notes by
Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Frank Applegate
Early modernist American art-teacher, painter, sculptor, ceramicist; in 1921 he moved to Santa Fe where he was immediately drawn into the art of the Native American and Hispanic cultures and became a moving force in the Santa Fe art scene; his output includes figure and landscape paintings and wood carvings, many depicting Pueblo Indian life; born Atlanta, Illinois (1881), died Santa Fe, New Mexico (1931).
- Penitentes (ca 1930), cottonwood sculpture, 33.8 × 52 cm, Frank Applegate (1881-1931).
Santa Fe: Montez Gallery.
Ref. GuestLife New Mexico (1999/2000: 86a - col.)
Two Indian figures approach a standing cross. The first prays; the second plays a narrow flared pipe; the third portrays Christ bearing a cross. Whilst the pipe almost certainly depicts an American Indian love-flute (with which Applegate, as a cultural preservationist, would have been well familiar), there is no trace of the external windway characteristic of that instrument which thus just might represent an internal duct-flute of European or native American origin.
Thomas van Apshoven
Flemish painter specialising in rural scenes; born Antwerp
(1622), died 1643.
- Landscape, oil on canvas, Thomas van
Apshoven (1622-1643). Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) A
rocky landscape with cattle and sheep resting in a gorge, watched
by a shepherd playing a flared-bell pipe (possibly a recorder),
and by another with a mule.
Francesco Faraone Aquila
Italian line-engraver; born Palermo (1676), died Rome (1740); nephew and pupil of famous engraver Pietro Aquila.
- Frontispiece: Pietro-Jacobo Martello, Opere: della
Tragedia Antica e Moderna dialogo; Teatro; Versi e Prose,
published by L. Dall Volpe in seven volumes (1723-1735), print,
Francesco Faraone Aquila (1676-1740).
Location unknown: sold by Maggs Bros
Ltd, London, October 1968. Ref. Sale Catalogue 913 (1968: No.
130); Paris RIdIM (2000). A female figure stands beneath
tasselled drapes between two walls before a garden. In the
foreground, musicians play harpsichord, violin, lute and two
similar-looking slender pipes one of which is completely visible,
the other only partly so. The partially visible pipe could be a
transverse flute (although the embouchure hole is not visible,
the player appears to be blowing across the instrument), but the
other seems to be held between the lips and thus may represent a
recorder since all fingers of the lowermost hand seem to be
occupied in covering their holes. It must be said that there are
rather more finger-holes than digits to cover them.
Louis Arnould d'Arondeau
French artist born into a family that worked for the Manufacture des Gobelins, Paris; he worked as Haut Lissier, eventually becoming a Maître Tapissier; with his young brother François, he was introduced to the Court of the Prince Elector of Munich in 1718 where they were joined by Jean-François Petitjean and François Carré to form the group known as "The Four French Tapestry Makers".
- Bavarian Coat of Arms with Captured Turks and Military Trophies (1724), tapestry, Louis Arnould d'Arondeau.
Munich: Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Inv. T 3818.
Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002: Mbnm - 98); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002).
Two bound Turks sit uncomfortably amonst a litter of weapons and military supplies in front of a plinth on which is carved a warlike scene. The plinth is surmounted by two female figures one (? Peace) holding a straight trumpet, the other (? Victory) a sword. A trophy to the left of the trumpeter comprises a folded trumpet, an oboe and a recorder crossed and tied with a tassel. The recorder is a three-piece baroque-style instrument of alto size, only the head and foot are visible. To the right of the swordswomen is a trophy in which a horn, an oboe and a sword are crossed. An ornamental border includes a number of musical instruments including a second baroque recorder, only the head of which is visible. Elsewhere are flutes, straight trumpets and a side drum. The association of the recorder with war here is a curious one; but both instruments are on the side of ? Peace. This is not the modern Bavarian coat of arms.
Jacques d'Arthois [or Artois]
Flemish landscape painter, draughtsman and collector specialising
in large wooded landscapes with figures often added by other
artists; made tapestry cartoon designer of the city of Brussels
in 1655; born Brussels (1613), died Brussels (1686).
- Landscape, canvas 114 × 187 cm, Jacques
d'Arthois (1613-1686). Brussels: Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, 990.
Ref. Leppert (1977: 6). A rustic country scene in which a
shepherd plays a duct-flute, (possibly a recorder).
Jacques d'Arthois & Gonzales Coque
Flemish genre and portrait painter Gonzales Coque, known as the
'little van Dyck'; a student of Pieter II Bruegel, the younger;
born Antwerp 1618 (or less likely 1614), died 1684.
- Picnic, Jacques d'Arthois (Brussels, 1613-1686) &
Gonzales Coques (1614/1618-1684). Private Collection. Ref. BMRBA
XVI (1967: 196, fig. 23); Leppert (1977: 7). At a bourgeois
picnic, children play a small recorder, violin, viol &
guitar.
David Adolf Constant Artz
Dutch collector and painter; member of the Hague School (1860-1890), a group of artists (including Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondrian) who rejected traditional views and the 'history' painting style that dominated art academies of the day – instead of idealizing their subjects, they tried to imbue their paintings with a realistic representation of what they saw; worked in Paris (1886-1874); born 1837, died 1890.
- Idylle: a Happy Tune (19th century), oil on canvas, 111 × 81 cm, David Adolf Constant Aratz (1837-1890).
Loc. Unknown, auctioned Christie's (Amsterdam), 25 April 2007, Lot 124.
Ref. Auction Catalogue: Sale 2740, 19th-century European Art (2007); Constance Scholten ex Anthony Rowland Jones (pers. comm., 2009).
A shepherd boy plays a small slender pipe but with his hands in a position almost perfect for recorder playing. Some cows graze in the background.
Cosmas (or Kosmas) Damian Asam
German (Bavarian) architect, decorator, and fresco painter who
developed further the dramatic effects of lights of Italian
illusionism; worked mainly on large commissions, painting and
sometimes also acting as architect, sometimes collaborating with
his brother Egid Quirin; born Benediktbeuren (1686), died Munich
(1739); son of Hans Georg Asam (1649-1711), brother of Egid
Quirin Asam (1692-1750).
- [Nativity],
ceiling fresco, Cosmas Damian Asam (1686-1739).
Weingarten: Monastery (near Lake Constance, South Germany). Ref.
Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999). An angel at the right
holds a small turned baroque soprano recorder in his right hand.
All the instrument is visible with the exception of the
foot-joint. Another angel plays a bass viol and a the left behind
the shepherds an angel plays an oboe. Above the recorder player
on the right an angel plays a lute held vertically.
- Nativity (1717), fresco, Cosmas Damian Asam
(1686-1739). Michelfeld: Langhaus (Orgeljoch). Ref. Hanfstaengl
(1939: pl. 2); Rupprecht (1980); Bushart & Rupprecht (1986:
pl. 10- col.); Rasmussen (1999). A shepherd blows an alphorn.
Others play bagpipe and shawm. Angels play cello, lute, two
recorders (?) and tambourine.
Cosmas (or Kosmas) Damian Asam & Egid Quirin [Aegidius
Quirinus] Asam
- Decoration on organ shutters (?1692-1750), Cosmas Damian Asam
(1686-1739) & Egid Quirin Asam (1692-1750). Freising (near
Munich): St Maria und St Korbinian Domkirche. Ref. Anthony
Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999). The shutters on each side are
decorated with many musical instruments. On the right hand side,
above the main group of instrumentalists, an angel dressed in
blue looks down from a cloud playing a slender, slightly
outwardly conical pipe. The lip and hand positions are correct
for a recorder, but no finger-holes or window/labium are visible.
The bottom of the instrument is hidden by cloud. The building
itself dates from 1624; new additions, (possibly including the
organ shutters) were undertaken from 1692-1750.
Egid Quirin [Aegidius Quirinus] Asam
Egid Quirin Asam was a German (Bavarian) architect, decorator,
sculptor, painter and stuccoist; born 1692, died 1750; son of
Hans Georg Asam (1649-1711), brother of Cosmas Damian Asam
(1686-1739).
- [Musical Angel] (1721), stuccowork, Egid Quirin Asam (1692-1750).
Innsbruck: Domkirche zu St Jakob, side of window above Emperor's gallery.
Ref. Prof. Wolfram Köberl, Innsbruck ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm, 2002).
"The Emperor's gallery was orginally in the Palace Chapel, so this part of the stuccowork is not visible from floor level. An angel plays a beautifully modelled late alto recorder of late baroque design, left hand lowermost, in perfect playing position with all fingers down.
Denis van Asloot
Flemish artist; born Malines (1570), died Brussels (1628).
- Triumph of the Archduchess Isabella in the Brussels
Ommeganck, Denis van Asloot (1570-1628). Detail.
London: Victoria and Albert Museum. Ref. CD cover, The King's Noyse (director D.
Douglass), Mascharada, Harmonia Mundi (? date); Paolo
Biordi (pers. comm., 2000). Musicians play from a balcony
overlooking a triumphal barge. Instruments include harps,
tambourine (with jingles), triangle (with jingle rings), lutes,
rebec, cello, and a cylindrical pipe, possibly a recorder.
Rachid Assaiev
Russian painter who studied under I. Korolev at the Institute of
Fine Arts, Moscow; many of his works are ultra-realistic in
style; born Astrakan (1947).
- Allegory of Music (1985), oil on canvas, 182 & 151 cm,
Rachid Assaiev (1947-). Location unknown. Ref. Sale catalogue (?
date: lot 72); Paris RIdIM (2000). A pipe organ is forced into a
corner of a room by a grand piano. Other instruments are piled
upon them and litter the floor, including double bass, cello,
horn, trumpet, saxaphone, drums, mandoline, cymbals and two small
recorders (on the floor, bottom right. The beaks of both of the
latter are clearly visible, and the nearest has seven
finger-holes in line. A large drape hangs behind the organ, and
sheet music is littered everywhere and even stuck on the walls.
Gioacchino Assereto
Italian artist known for his depictions of religious and classical subjects and his vivid narrative painting; born Genoa (1600), died Genoa (1649).
- The Duet, oil on canvas, 101.7 × 90.7 cm, attributed to Giocchino Assereto (1600-1649).
Location unknown: offered for sale by Bonham's (London), 9-10 July 2003, Lot 336.
Ref. Sale Catalogue: Old Master Paintings, Bonhams, London (2003: 187 - col.); Constance Scholten (pers. comm., 2005).
An old woman sings from a sheeet of music conducting a young child playing a slender ? soprano one-piece recorder, the beak and window/labium clearly depicted and the little finger of the lowermost (right) hand covering its hole.
Michael Astrapas and Eutychios
Macedonian artists, possibly recruited from Thessalonika, who were court painters to the Serbian King Uros II Milutin (reigned 1282-1321); their dramatic expressiveness was the basis for the new trend in Byzantine art from this epoch, called "The Renaissance of the Paleologues".
- Ecce Homo: The Mocking
of Jesus (1315-1317/1318), fresco, Michael Astrapas and Eutychios.
Detail.
Staro Nagoricino (village E of Kumanova, Macedonia): Church of Sveti Djordje [St George], North wall.
Ref. Djuric (1976: pl. 33 - col.); Bärenreiter, Musica Calendar (1986-col.); Archiv Moeck;
Marjanovic (1995); Pejovic (1995); Rowland-Jones (1999a: 129 – b&w); Rowland-Jones (1999c:
14, fig. 5 – b&w); Bridgeman Art Library (2002: Image ID JB 140730 - col.); Rowland-Jones (2006: 13-15 & fig. 13a-b - col.)
The painting of the church was commenced in 1315. Michael and Eutychios began to decorate the church in 1315, after Milutin's defeat of the Turks. Christ is not only mocked but tormented by a crew of evil looking musicians: two blow enormous curved trumpets, one bangs on a huge snare drum, and a youth with a sly grin tweets away on a duct-flute (quite possibly a recorder). Four young boys parody a dance of homage in a hypocritically submissive posture at Jesus' feet, one of them clashing cymbals at the same time. The window/labium of the duct-flute is clearly visible and there is an open finger-hole for the little finger of the lowermost hand. Rowland-Jones (1999c: 129) doubts that the artist here has shown us the first recorder, arguing that "the length of the instrument between the lower hole to the bell-end, however, although there is no flare, is characteristic of shawms." Later, Rowland-Jones (2006: 15) writes: "The instrument may be an early version of the short cylindrical six-holed frula, the most popular of present-day Serbian duct-flutes. The position of the player’s right thumb makes it unlikely that the instrument has a thumb-hole; there are no paired little-finger-holes, and the hole very close to the bell-end is probably for tuning as it is out of reach of the player’s left little finger. " In my estimation, a recorder remains a possibility here.
This fresco is very different from the sterotyped frescos of this period found elsewhere in the region, and it is possible that it records a theatrical performance of the time (see Marjanovic 1995).
Matthias Grunewald's (1470/80-1528) Mocking of Christ (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) includes a pipe-and-tabor player amongst his torturers.
Margaret Alison Atkins
English artist and illustrator; born Fulham (1878), died 1919.
- Listen to My Sweet Pipings pen and ink and watercolour
over pencil on drawing board, 26.1 × 14.3 cm, Margaret
Alison Atkins (1878-1919). York: City Art Gallery. Ref.
Bridgeman Art Gallery (2005: image 135533).
A pixie-like girl sits beneath a floweing tree playing a slender, slightly flared pipe. In the foreground are foxgloves. A banner in the bottom r-h corner give the title, and beneath is a strain of music.
Benoit Audran
French engraver, from a family of distinguished French artists; his works comprise more than 200 prints, amongst them reproductions of paintings by such artists as Le Brun, François Verdier, Eustache Le Sueur and Pierre Mignard, but also numerous vignettes for books, among them a famous series (1718) for the Greek myth Daphnis et Chloé after compositions by the Regent, Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans; born Lyon (1661), died Louzouer, Loiret (1721).
- Chloé calls the cattle and rescues Daphnis by playing the flute (late 18th century), ink on rose paper, 20 × 15.7 cm, Benoit Audran (1661-1721).
Chantilly: Musée Condé, Inv. DE 451.
Ref. Joconde (2007 - col.)
Chloé stands beneath a tree playing an alto-sized pipe with a flared bell, possibly a recorder. In front of her, Daphnis is carried ashore holding on to the horns of two bulls.
Baron von Aufsess (18th century), German
- Untitled (1784), Baron von Aufsess (18th century).
Regensburg: Thurn und Taxis Zentralarchiv und Hofbibliothek, Inv.
B VIII d.3. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999: Rtt 48). A rather naive
picture of a street procession following a wedding. The people
are in Croatian dress. The instruments being played are eight
lutes, a violin and a recorder. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones
(pers. comm., 1999).
Geoffroy Augustin & Jean-Pierre Pelissier
French stone masons working in Visan (Vaucluse), late 18th century.
- Trophy, carved stone boss (1778), Geoffroy Augustin & Jean-Pierre Pelissier, both from Visan.
Visan (Vaucluse): Chapelle Notre-Dame des vignes, on the second span.
Ref. Iconographie de la cornamuse (2009).
Depicts lyre, violin, recorder, flute, horn, trumpet, bagpipes, triangle, tambourine and a score.
John Austin (18th century), English
- Recorders and Music (1703-1705), carved wooden
trophies by ?John Austin. Cambridge: Christ's College, organ
case. Ref. Thomson & Rowland-Jones (1995: front cover, 150,
fig. 35B). Two wooden recorders in each of two trophies at either
side of the front of the organ case. In front of the crossed
recorders are part-books of music. The trophy on the left of the
console is headed Sinphony Flauto Primo; that on the right Sinphony Flauto Secundo.
The music is possibly by Lord William Biron who composed some Symphonys for
2 Flutes, or by Charles Quarles, Organist of Trinity College
and of Christ's College who was responsible for the installation
of the new organ in 1705.
Antoine Avernier, Arnould Bourlin & Alexandre Huet
French wood-carvers whose 16th-century gothic-style work is considered the finest of its kind.
- Nativity (1508-1519), wood-carving, Antoine Avernier, Arnould Boulin & Alexandre Huet.
Amiens: Cathédrale Notre Dame, choir stalls.
Ref. Macrez (2006); Gilloire & Gense (2007); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007).
The carvings on these choir stalls comprise some 400 biblical and every-day life scenes, with several thousand figures, all full of character. Only two panels have musical angels, both on opposite sides of the stalls end-panels by the entrance to the choir from the nave. The south-side end panel has a Nativity scene with eight musical angels hovering above, playing nakers, bagpipes, portative organ (very clear in tiny detail), harp, lute, vielle (damaged) and two pipes. Both pipes are held with the hands close together towards the lower part of the instruments which are cylindrical but with marked bell flare. The pipe-player to the left has an alto-siezed instrument, played slightly from the side of the mouth, but the face is relaxed. The pipe towards the right is the same length but is held at the top and appears to be a basset recorder with the upper part broken away. Interestingly, its angel player is represented as older than the alto pipe player. The context and the choice of instruments strongly suggests that the pipes represent recorders. It is all far too small for any detailing such as window/labium or finger-holes. The two angel musicians on the opposite bench panel are not playing pipes.
Avi
Acclaimed US children's book writer; born New York (1937).
- Inside cover illustration: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, Avi (2002).
Published by Hyperion, New York.
Ref. Patrick O'Malley (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 2003).
Illustration for a story set in 14th century Italy. The inside cover depicts Crispin holding a recorder. Not seen.

© Copyright 1996-2010 N.S. Lander
Webmaster: Nicholas S.
Lander