Recorder Home Page

Recorder Iconography

Compiled by Nicholas S. Lander

Anonymous (arranged by date and provenance)

3rd Century

Germany

Mosaic, German (Trier). Trier: Rheinisches Landesmuseum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). "From a mosaic workshop established at Trier (and elsewhere in the Rhine/Moselle region) in mid-1st century AD; about 180 mosaics from the Trier area are extant. In this one a winged amoretto plays an ambiguous single pipe, left-hand lowermost, all fingers down. The instrument is narrow at the lips, of alto/tenor length, slightly outwardly conical throughout, but slender even at the bell (no flare). The mouthpiece touches closed lips at the side of the mouth. The cheeks are not puffed" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)

5th Century

England

Vergilius Romanus: Pastoral Scene, Shepherds and Flocks, illumination, Rome: Vatican Library, Vergil MS Vat. lat. 3867= Romanus, Folio 44, verso. Ref. Web-site: Vortigern Studies (2007 - col.) Watched by his companion, a shepherd seated on a rock plays a long cylindrical pipe, probably a reed pipe (given his puffed cheeks), but possibly a duct-flute.

6th Century

Israeli

Man playing the Flute to his Dog (ca 567), floor mosaic, Beth or Beit She'an (as Beit Shean), Israel: Monastery of Our Lady (or Lady Mary). Ref. Beckwith (1970: 68); Warburg Institute, London. "A vine trellis frames various pastoral occupations including a Negro leading a camel, which seems to be merely carrying on a tradition of representing aspects of rural life so popular in North Africa and, no doubt, throughout the Mediterranean area, without any wider mystical or cosomographical connotations" (Beckwith, loc. cit.)
A seated shepherd plays to his dog a tenor-sized pipe with a distinctly flared bell. His cheeks are not puffed and his arms and thumb are well positioned for recorder playing (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm., 1999). The dog is sitting up on his hind legs, turning his head away, and seems to be howling. An unconcerned rabbit hops by, nibbling at a grape.

Bet (or Beit) She'an is in NE Israel, 394 feet below sea level. The site is one of the oldest inhabited cities of ancient Palestine. It has a Roman amphitheatre, in excellent condition. Under Byzantine rule it was the capital of the Northern Province of Palestina Secunda. It declined after the Arab Conquest in AD 636 and supported a Jewish community in the next millenium. Now under Jewish domination, this area is the centre of a flax and cotton industry (Encylopedia Brittanica).

7th Century

Provenance unknown

The Marriage of David (610-629), embossed silver dish, Nicosia, Cyprus : Archaeological Museum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (2000d: 93, fig. 4 - b&w). This plate dates to the era of the Christian Eastern Roman Empire. It represents the marriage of King David. Two pipes, often recorders, signify the harmony of two souls in marriage.

10th Century

Irish (Hiberno-Saxon)

High Cross of Muiredach, East Side: The Last Judgement (after 922), carved sandstone, 5.5 m high. Detail. Monasterboice, County Louth, Ireland. Ref. Corran (1971 - b&w); Hunt (1972: 5); Buckley (1991: 145-146, 180-181, fig. 7); Harbison (1994); Mary Ann Sullivan (2002), The East Side of the Muiredach Cross, Monasterboice, County Louth. This high cross was named for the abbot who died in the year 922 and commemorates him with an inscription on the base of the shaft on the west side. The east and west faces have sculpted biblical scenes, while the sides are adorned with spirals, bosses with interlacing and intertwining beasts. On the outer portion of the wheel there are three Celtic heads with two serpents weaving in-between them. Flanking the heads, on either side, are interlacing bands, while up above is the hand of God reaching down as if to bless someone. Beside the Devil, who is prodding the souls of the dammed into Hell, is a player of the triple pipes. In some photographic representations the instrument may appear like a cylindrical pipe reminiscent of a recorder. Indeed, both Corran (loc. cit.) and Hunt (loc. cit.) have described it as such, hence its inclusion here. There are other Irish and Scottish examples of the triple pipes (Ann Buckley, pers. comm.) In the central boss is the figure of Christ holding a cross and flowering rod, symbolic of His eternal priesthood. A large bird above his head may be the mythical phoenix, symbolic of His resurrection, or an eagle, symbolic of His ascension. On the left-hand arm of the cross, the saved face Christ, led by David with his harp followed by a figure who looks as if he is playing a pipe of some kind. There is even a suggestive depression where the characteristic window/labium of a duct-flute would be found, though this might easily be an artifact of weathering. He seems to have gone unremarked by previous commentators.

11th Century

English

King David, from the Psalter (ca 1030-1050), English. Cambridge: University Library, MS Ff 1.23 Ref. Westwood & Zaczek (1996: 108-109, pl. 41 - col.) Thought to have been produced at Winchcombe Abbey in Gloucestershire. King David plays the harp surrounded by his fellow musicians who play crwth, rote, nakers and a pipe which looks very much like an elongate globular flute, but may represent a recorder.

French

David and the Psalmists: ? Psalm 150, carved capital of a stone pillar (11th century). Bourbon-l'Archambault (Burgundy): Eglise de St George. Detail. Ref. Bärenreiter Musica calendar (1967); Thomson (1974, 74 & plate 1 - b&w); Early Music 18(2): 289 (1990). The church and its carvings are Romanesque. One musician plays a horn with one hand and a harp with the other; a second plays a rebec; a third plays a duct-flute with a clearly depicted but slit-like window/labium, six finger-holes, and a thumb position suggestive of recorder-playing; a fourth plays a syrinx.
Latin Psalter, 11th-century. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, No. 1118. Ref. Galpin (1910/1978: 105); Seebass (?date). " …the position in which the instrument [ie the recorder] is held is very characteristic. An early Continental instance is found in a Latin Psalter of the eleventh century in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (No. 1118)" (Galpin, loc. cit.)

German

Bernwardsäule: Salome's Dance (ca 1020), bronze cast. Hildesheim Cathedral, Germany. Ref. Bärenreiter Musica Calendar: June (1996 - b& w); postcard, Bernward Verlag GmbH, Hildesheim, Best. Nr. 6302-detail & 6891 (2001 - col.) Commissioned ca 1020 by Bishop Bernward ca 960-1022 and known as the "Bernward column", probably inspired by the Trajan column in Rome, but depicting the life of St John the Baptist. Salome dances to the accompaniment of a straight, cylindrical duct-flute with four finger-holes visible, the lowest slightly offset. It is clasped between two hands, just above which there is a notch (?window). The mouthpiece is beak-shaped. The player (a man) does not have puffed cheeks.

Greek

Dome mosaic (mid-11th century), Greek. Greece: Katholicon Monastery of Hosias Lukas. Ref. Rowland-Jones (1999c: 13-14). A shepherd plays a single duct-flute of tenor size. "Mosaic is not an easy medium for precise detail, but this representation is very recorder-like, despite some curious fingering" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)

12th Century

English

Hunterian Psalter: King David with Musicians (ca 1170), York, England. Glasgow: University Library, MS Hunter 229 (U.3.2), f 21v. Ref. Galpin (1910/1978: 104, fig. 25); Moeck (1984: January - col.); Montagu (1976: 19, pl. 8 - b&w); Rensch (1989: 53, pl. 46 - b&w); Fifty Treasures from Glasgow University Library (2002). Detail showing showing what some writers have claimed to be a recorder player. However, the instrument is clearly a bagpipe rather than a recorder. This 12th-century manuscript used to be known as the York Psalter, but is now more usually known (after its donor, William Hunter) as the Hunterian Psalter. It is an outstanding masterpiece of the illuminator's craft, and is rightly considered to be among the most splendid examples of English Romanesque art comprising 15 pages of scenes from the Old and New Testaments. In this illumination King David plucks his harp surrounded by musicians playing bells, rebec, psaltery, symphony, vielle, ? panpipe, and bagpipe.
Mythical Creatures Making Music (1115-1125), carved stone capital. Canterbury Cathedral: Crypt. Ref. Galpin (1910/1978: 103, pl. 15 - b&w); Early Music 18(2): 303 (1990); Christian Brassy. The Canterbury Crypt has quite a number of capitals with animals, and in two quite separate ones the animals are playing wind-instruments. On one capital, a splendid chimera (half donkey, half bird) riding a fish-tailed dog plays a straight, concial pipe (right claw uppermost) with three holes showing; the mouthpiece end is not visible as the goat holds it firmly, deep in his open jaws; the instrument has a conical bell with an incised ring; the goat opposite standing on his hind legs plays a large rebec. On another capital a gryphon plays a harp and a dog plays a slightly curved, conical pipe (left paw uppermost); the pipe has finger-holes; the mouthpiece end is not visible as the dog holds it firmly, deep in his open jaws; the bell has what appears to be an incised decorative ring. Whilst the straight pipe may represent a duct-flute, the curved one is more likely a horn.
[Untitled] (12th century), stone carving. Barfreston Church, Kent, England. Ref. Galpin (1910/1978: 103, pl. 15 - b&w). A man plays a fiddle whilst on either side of him a bear or other beast plays a pipe (possibly a duct-flute) and a grotesque plays a syrinx.

French

Bible of Citeaux / Bible d’Étienne Harding: King David with his Musicians (1109), French. Dijon: Bibliothèque Publique, Ms. 14, fol. 13v. Ref. Pichard (1966: 34); Website: Central European University, Department of Medieval Studies, Budapest (2001); Liesbeth van der Sluis (pers. comm., 2001). King David, enthroned in a diagramatic castle around which a battle is raging, plays his harp. Musicians at his feet play bells, an ambiguous pipe (shawm or duct-flute), vielle and organ.
Musicians and acrobats (12th century), stone-carved capital, French. La Chaize le Vicomte (the Vendée): Church, column. Ref. Hammerstein (1974: fig. 108 - b&w). On either side of an acrobat hanging from a bar, musicians play harp and an unusual looking instrument which appears square in cross-section and has what appear to be a massive windcap and seven finger-holes at the front. This may simply represent a second harp viewed front on, with a decorated column.
Jongleur playing a pipe (12th century), stone-carved relief, French. Toulouges, near Perpignan: Church. Ref. Christian Brassy. Toulouges was part of the Kingdom of Aragon in the 12th century. A jongleur plays what seems to be a double duct-flute, but the details are obscured by erosion.
Grotesque Playing a Pipe (12th century), stone-carved capital, French. Avy sur Pons (near Saintes, Western France): Church. Ref. Christian Brassy (2000, pers. comm.) A grotesque plays a pipe with a wide beak. It could represent a primitive shawm (pibcorn), but a slit-like opening on the front of the beak may represent the window/labium of a duct-flute.

Italian

[Musicians] (mid-12th century). Palermo, Sicily: Cappella Palatina. Ref. Farmer (1966: 58, footnote 11), Gramit (1985: 21-22 & fig. 16 - b&w). A drummer and a player of the qasaba, a duct-flute which looks very much like a recorder.
[Musicians] (mid-12th century). Palermo, Sicily: Cappella Palatina. Ref. Farmer (1966: 58, footnote 11), Gramit (1985: 21-22, fig. 17 - b&w). A drummer and a player of the qasaba, a duct-flute which looks very much like a recorder, at a fountain.

Spanish

Man Playing a Pipe (12th century), stone carving, Spanish. Tabliega (Provincia. de Burgos): Iglesia de San Andres. Ref. Christian Brassy (2002 - col.) The Iglesia de San Andres is a romanesque church dating from the 11th century when it served as a monastery. A squatting man plays a pipe with a wide mouthpiece. No details of the instrument are visible, and the foot may have broken off. But all fingers of both hands seem to be employed.
Man playing a Pipe (12th century), stone carving, Spanish. Sangüesa (Navarre): Santa Maria la Real. Ref. Christian Brassy (2002 - col.) A squatting man plays a flared-bell pipe. A trace of a possible window/labium can be seen, the thumb of the player's uppermost (right) hand and the little finger of his lowermost hand seems to be covering their holes, so this may represent a recorder.
[Musicians] (12th century), carved ivory box, Spanish. Venice: Museo Nazionale [di Palazzo Venezia]. Ref. Website: David van Edwards (2009), A Brief History of the Lute. Part 1. Arabic musicians play a lute and what appearst to be a duct-flute of alto size. The piper plays right hand uppermost; the window/labium is just visible, but no finger-holes.

13th Century

Armenian

Shepherd with a Flute (1281), Vaspurakan Gospel. London: British Library, MS Or.2679. Ref. Nepresian (1987: 31, fig. 19). Illustrates St Luke 2:28-29. Shows a pipe which could be a duct-flute of some kind, even a recorder. Vaspurakan is now part of eastern Turkey.

English

The Cuerden Psalter: David with Musicians (late 13th century), English. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, M. 756, folio 11. Ref. Ford (1988: #84); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001; 2006: 4). David plays a harp; two musicians play a fiddle and a pipe and tabor. On the upper margin a grotesque plays a conical pipe, possibly a duct-flute. The latter instrument is slightly curved, which may have led Ford (loc. cit.) to suggest that this might be a cornett. However this is very early for a cornett and, in any case, the curve is very slight and possibly not intentional. The Cuerden Psalter was possibly produced near Canterbury.

French

From Gloses sur l'Apocalypse (1353-1270), France. F Pn lat. 19474, f.19. Ref. Boragno (1998: 13 - b&w). Three men and a goose stand before a wall; one of the men plays a conical duct-flute, the window and several finger-holes of which are clearly shown. Both beak and bell are, in part, made of a different material to the body of the instrument.
From the St Louis Psalter (13th century), French. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, MS Latin 10525, f. 105v, 1186. Ref. Boragno (1998: 13 - b&w). A man plays a duct-flute, the window of which is clearly depicted. The St Louis Psalter was commissioned by St Louis IX, the Holy, a man as famous for his sense of justice, as for his statesmanly qualities. It is a luxurious book, with a preliminary group of seventy-eight full-page illuminations of scenes from the Old Testament.
MS Douce 62 (late thirteenth century), fol. 151 Oxford: Bodleian Library. MS Douce comprises a Book of Hours, illuminated mainly by Zebo da Firenze, and Occupations of the Months, Zodiac Signs, etc.
Psalter: David Plays a Positive Organ (1290-1300), French. Detail. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, M.796. Ref. Ford (1988: #212); Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "In five border medallions, musicians play a shawm, a fiddle, a psaltery, a gittern (the pegbox is like the fiddle), and a harp" (Ford, loc. cit.) Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.) considers the shawm a little doubtful as the lower hand is placed too low down the instrument for shawm fingering; but it is hardly an accurate depiction. It might just as well be a duct-flute, even though no window/labium is visible.

German

[Untitled] (ca 1230), stone carvings, German. Nuremberg: Frauenkirche, inner west portal (above doors, in a gothic arch). Ref. Archiv Moeck (photos by Astrid Neumann); Rowland-Jones (1999c: fig. 3 - b&w). Two angels play duct-flutes somewhat reminiscent of the Dordrecht recorder, each with a very small, flared foot. The hands are widely spaced, with three holes showing between them. One angel plays left-hand uppermost; the other contrariwise.
Angel Musician (ca 1230), stone carving, German. Bamburg: Cathedral, Main Portal. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). An angel plays a flared duct-flute with a beak reminiscent of the Göttingen recorder.
Psalm 112: B[eatus vir qui timet Dominum] [Blessed is he that feareth the Lord] (13th century), decorated initial, gouache & gold on parchment, German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cod.gall. 16, Fol. 7 v. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Mbs - H 509). Above is a decorated initial 'B' with a Jesse Tree and King David playing his harp. At the bottom of the page, a shepherd plays a pipe (probably a double pipe, but possibly a recorder) to his sheep. One of the sheep is being eaten by a lion.

14th Century

Armenian

Nakhijevan Gospel (1304): Shepherd playing the flute, Armenian. Yerevan (Armenia): Matenadaran, MS 3722. Ref. Atayan (2002 - col.) A shepherd in a pointed hat with a tassel, a purse on a wide scarf hung around his neck, and boots turned up at the points, plays a flared-bell pipe, with a hint of a window/labium, right hand lowermost.

English

Untitled (early 14th century), woodcut from the Ormesby Psalter, English. Oxford: Bodleian Library, MS Douce 366. Ref. Galpin (1910/1978: 104-105, fig 26), Thomson (1974: 23, fig. 5); Rowland-Jones (2006: 3-4 & fig. 1-col.) One of the most magnificent, yet enigmatic, of English fourteenth-century manuscripts, produced in a series of campaigns between ca 1280 and ca 1340, for a succession of different patrons, both lay and monastic. Both the figurative initials and the decoration in this psalter were made in the same workshop (probably in Bury St Edmunds) by two different miniaturists. The codex received its name from Robert Ormesby, a monk who dedicated the codex to the prior of a convent in Norwich. On this crowded page the high quality, irregular frame is remarkable. A larger D and a smaller T initial are related to the text: in the D initial the three temptations of Christ in the desert are depicted. On the lower left-hand side of the highly decorated frame, a cockerel with a man's body plays a pipe which some (including Galpin, loc. cit.) have taken to represent a recorder. The mouthpiece is not in the player's mouth, but rests against it, and it does not comprise a reed and pirouette, so a shawm would seem to be out of the question. A mark at the top does look as if it could represent a window/labium, so a duct-flute was probably intended. The elbow position is typical of recorder playing, and so are the 'curved over' hands. A finger-hole is visible between the hands and three further holes are visible below the lower (right) hand. No tuning hole is shown on the bell which one would expect with a shawm. The lowest of the three finger-holes is slightly offset to the left and the middle one appears to be double, though this could be an ink-blot or some other artifact. On the right-hand side of the page, immediately opposite the man-cockerel, a horse-headed demon farts in the face of a trumpeter in a sort of competition of wind instruments!
Squatting Man playing a Pipe (ca 1305), carved misericord. Winchester Cathedral: Stalls, North side, 6th from West. Ref. This is a shawm or cornett (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers com.)
Grotesque playing a Duct-flute (ca 1325), from the Gorleston Psalter. London: British Library, Add 49622. Ref. Cockerell (1907); Montagu (1976: 45, pl. 36 - b&w); Anthony Rowland-Jones (2006: 3). An ambiguous pipe, shown by Montagu (loc. cit.) as an example of "a single duct-flute, ancestor of the recorder, but too crude to be at all informative".
A Harpist and a Piper (ca 1330), carved misericord. Chichester Cathedral, Precentor's stall. Ref. Galpin (1910/1978: 105); Thomson (1974: 74 & pl. 2 - b&w); Hunt (1977: 9); Hersom (1988); Rowland-Jones (1999c: 33, fig. 9-b&w). Known as "The Hurst Misericord". Depicts an alto or tenor size duct-flute (possibly a recorder) & harp duo. The window/labium area is shown with great clarity, the bell end flares in exterior profile, with a decorative ring near the start of the flare. Unfortunately the player's lower (right) hand is broken off, tantalisingly not showing the lower part of the body of the instrument. If this had four fingers down or the little-finger-hole it could be claimed as the first representation of a true a recorder.
Musical Angels (ca 1342), painted limestone carving, English. Exeter Cathedral: Musicians' Gallery, third figure from the right. Ref. Kinsky (1930: 51); Cave (1953: 60); J.B.C. (1957); Peter (1958: 42); Crispin (1968: 358-359); Hunt (1977: 9); Early Music 15 (1): front cover (1987 - col.) On the East side of the gallery, a minstrel plays an ambiguous conical pipe which appears to be a shawm, amongst players of the citole, bagpipe, fiddle, harp, and jew's harp. On the West side, are trumpet, portative organ, gittern, pipe, timbrel (with jingle rings) and cymbals. The pipe on the West side has what appears to be a beak (easily visible in the Early Music reproduction (loc. cit.) and may well represent a duct-flute, possibly a recorder. These carvings were restored in 1976.
Man playing a Duct-flute (ca 1380-1390), stone carving. Winchester. Ref. photo ex Walter Bergmann's collection. Could be a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder), but not found either at Winchester Cathedral in either of the Chapels, but possibly elsewhere in Winchester (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
Woodwind instrument (1385), stained glass, English. Lincoln: Cathedral, Musicians' Window. Ref. Lincoln Angels Project (2003). "Woodwind instrument, possibly of the duct-flute (whistle) family. The damage to the glass has frustratingly destroyed any hope of making a definitive identification. It is possible that the line around the top of the instrument represents the windway [sic.] of the instrument." (Lincoln Angels Project, loc. cit.) This is highly ambiguous and could just as well represent a reed instrument of some kind.
A Fish Siren luring Seamen in a passing Boat (ca 1390), woodcarved misericord. Boston (Lincs), England: St Botolph's Church, South side, upper stalls, No. 13. Ref. Hunt (1977: 9); Rowland-Jones (1999c: 33, fig. 8-b&w). Two sailors try to stop their ears against the siren's enticing sounds of a ?recorder. There are no signs of restoration, except recent protective treatment of the wood. The siren's right wrist and lower hand are missing, and a diagonal crack near the end of the instrument has parted and offset the bell end. The instrument is of tenor recorder size, cylindrical except for an almost imperceptible flare or thickening at the extreme bell end. The mouthpiece is ?decorated with two rings, but the tip could be beak-shaped (not clear). There is no window. The siren's cheeks seem neither puffed out nor relaxed, and is consistent with playing a recorder. Four fingers of both hands are on the instrument, left hand uppermost, yet three holes are visible between the two hands, and three, in line (taking account of the crack in the wood between two lower holes) below the right hand, i.e. six holes visible altogether between and below the fingers. Apollodurus (Epitome 7: 18-19) says that the three sirens played flute and lyre and one sang. This suggests that the siren in this misericord is playing a duct-flute.
The peculiar beak of the recorder depicted here is somewhat reminiscent of that of the Göttingen and Esslingen recorders, two of the three surviving medieval recorders.
Book of Hours: Nativity, (1380–1400) Oxford: Bodleian Library, Ms. Laud Misc.188, f.35r. Ref. Boase (1954: 10 & pl. 21a); Rowland-Jones (2006: 4-5 & fig. 3 - col.) Joseph points out to the Virgin (with Child, and ox and ass beneath) two angels, in the border of an initial, who are serenading them with the music of two pipes. Boase called this 'a pretty and most unusual fancy'. The nearer instrument is of tenor size, the other alto. The tenor seems to be beaked, and is cylindrical, quite slender, and with a slight bell flare. The alto has a wider body with decorative rings near the bell-end. The relaxed playing position for the tenor is very suggestive of recorder playing, but the placing of the hands is harder to make out with the alto – the image is too small, however, for any certain identification (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Angel Playing a Wind Instrument, detail from the crozier of William of Wykeham (ca 1320-1404), silver gilt & champleve enamel, total height 206 cm English. Oxford: New College, Chapel. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library, NCO 205111 (2003 - col.); Montague (2002: fig. 11a-b); CD cover: Evensong at New College Oxford (2004 - col.) The crozier is richly decorated with a number of framed images, including musicians playing various musical instruments. In one, a seated man plays a clyindrical pipe with a a slightly flared bell, possibly a duct-flute. In another a man plays a similar instrument. These are referred to by Montague as 'Peter 5' and 'Peter 8'. Montagu writes, "There is a trace of what might be a mouth; if so, it indicates that this is a duct-flute. I believe that this may be one of the first representations of a recorder" – he suggests the date as 1367 when William of Wykeham was consecrated as Bishop of Winchester.32 He continues, however, "One can seldom be certain …." He conjectures, but with even more uncertainty, that 'Peter 8' (fig.11b) might depict a shawm, but the outline of thickening at the bell-end, to protect against cracking and perhaps to facilitate bore reaming, could just possibly suggest that this is another recorder; some instruments are repeated on the crozier and, with its symbolism of the cult of the Virgin Mary, all the instruments except for some light percussion are bas rather than haut. But neither 'Peter 5' nor 'Peter 8' shows a clear window/labium, and the lower hand in each case is too high up the instrument for recorder playing.
Bust of a Piper (14-15th century), red, dark green-glazed pottery, English. Cambridge: Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Inv. Z 15378. Ref. Rackham (1972: 10, 19 & pl. 15 - b&w); Charles Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). An object of uncertain purpose with a horizontal opening right through it. A pot in the form of a man playing a narrowly conical duct-flute, possibly a recorder. The beak and window/labium of the instrument are clearly depicted, and all the player's fingers seem to be in use. There is a single hole open right near the bell.
Bear Playing a Recorder (14th or 15th century), carved wooden bench end, England. Wiggenhall (St Germans): St Germans (church). A bear plays a recorder, the window/labium and doubled holes for the little finger of the lowermost hand clearly depicted. Interestingly, the head of this instrument is bent in a manner reminiscent of modern 'knick-system' instruments. The medieval benches in this church form the two central ranges in the nave. They include representations of the Seven Deadly Sins, the seven sacrements of the Catholic Church, the Evangelists, and a small selection of carved animals. Most of the latter are quiet, local images of everyday creatures, although there is a super pig-like dragon, and this musical bear.
Man playing a Pipe (?14th century), carved stone corbel, England. Anwick: Church of St Edith, external wall. The church building dates from the late 13th century and was restored by local builder/architect/mason Charles Kirk of Sleaford in 1859. Several carved musicians adorn the walls of this church. One is playing a small conical pipe, possibly a duct-flute. Another is playing a longer pipe with a strongly flared bell, probably a shawm.

Flemish

From Augustine: De civitate Dei (French): Coronation of the Virgin, ? Flemish. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale 9006, fol. 293. Ref. Hottois (1982); Rowland-Jones (pers. comm, 2001; 2006: 6). Around the coronation scene, nine angel musicians of which two, at the top left and at the centre, are playing wind instruments not identified by Hottois (loc. cit.) Both play with their right hand lowermost. The alto-sized instrument on the left, however, may be a recorder as it appears to have paired little finger-holes and a slightly flared bell, and possibly a window/labium, though the latter is very indistinct. The instrument of the right is of soprano/alto size.
Untitled (14th century), Flemish. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België / Bibiothèque Royale de Belgique, MS Folio 39. Ref. Wright (1977, fig.); The Citole Project (2001); Rowland-Jones (2006: 9 & fig. 7 -b&w). Beneath a drawing of a citole with a holly-leafed shaped body ending in a trefoil are simple drawings of two duct-flutes, marked 'fistuli floyt'. That on the left (possibly a recorder) has a clearly depicted window/labium and seven finger-holes more or less clearly marked, although the upper two are somewhat apart from and fainter than the lower ones, and the curve on the beak is cut the wrong way around. That on the right (probably a tabor pipe) has a clearly depicted window/labium, three finger-holes on the upper surface, a thumbhole beneath, and a correctly configured beak.
From Augustine: De civitate Dei (French), adapted by Raoul de Presles (ca 1390), Flemish. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale 9294, fol. 38r (9 × 8.5 cm), ex Saint Laurence Abbey, Liège. Ref. Hottois (1982: pl. 37, cat. no. 78); Rowland-Jones (2006: 5-6). Five musicans play for 12 listening bearded Romans. From left to right the first musician plays a fiddle, the second a rebec, the third a duct-flute (the window of which can be discerned), the fourth a shawm, and the fifth the bagpipes.
Musician with a Flageolet (14th century), stone sculpture, 18.5 × 14 × 21 cm, Flemish. Nivelles: Musée Communal. Ref. Institute Royal du Patrimonie Artistique / Koninklijk Instituut voor hef Kunstpatrimonium (IRPA/KIK), Brussels (2007). A musican plays a pipe with a flared bell. It could represent a shawm or duct-flute, even a recorder.

French

Daniel slaying the Dragon (14th century), stained glass (French). Mulhouse (Alsace): St Stephen's Church. Ref. Grodecki, L. (1948). The devil is holding up one of a number of bottles, perhaps to collect the dragon's blood. In his right hand he holds what could be a pipe of some kind, possibly a duct-flute – or is it simply a drinking straw?
Sirens, painting in the former tower in the bishopric of Beauvais, French. Ref. Unknown, Fig. 10 (b&w sketch). Five sirens play musical instruments, namely bagpipe, pipe and frame drum, elongate triangular lute or monochord, vielle, and a slender slightly conical pipe.
[Rustic scene] from the Bucoliques of Virgil (1300), miniature, French. Lyons. Bibliothèque de l'Académie, MS 27. Ref. Ref. ?Fasquelle (1958, 2); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Three shepherds amuse themselves in a meadow. One plays the bagpipes, another a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder). A third, leaning on his staff, may be singing. A cow wanders about in the background.
Angel Musicians (late 14th century), frescoes, French. Lavardin (Loir et Cher, near Vendôme): Church of St Genest, murals on south chancel wall above scenes form the Passion. Ref. Postcard: Compier Imprimeur Macon Cimy (col.) A choir of angel musicians of which seven are clear enough to distinguish the instruments, namely a harp, double flute of considerable length with a wide bell flare, psaltery, bagpipe, triangle and a possible recorder. The window/labium of the latter is quite clear; the upper right hand is just taken off the instrument; the lower left hand has all four fingers on and partly across the instrument. The instrument is cylindrical but its bell end is blurred. It is just possible that this could represent a second double flute. The attitude of the angels suggests late 14th or early 15th century, due to the curved stance. There is a trapezoid fiddle and a lute on the north side of the chancel. Notes from Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).
Grandes Chroniques de France, Paris (1338-1380-1461): Festin à l'occasion de l'institution de l'Ordre de l'Etoile, 17.5 × 14.5 cm; 9 × 14.5 cm, French. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, FR 2813, fol. 394. Ref. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris: Le roi Charles V et son temps (1338-1380), 1000 enluminures du Département des Manuscrits (2002 - col.) At a long table, four kings each wearing a huge star-shaped medal are served food and drink to an accompaniment provided by a bagpiper and a piper. The latter's instrument is short with a flared bell and may represent a duct-flute rather than a shawm.
Histoire de la Bible [Story of the Bible]: Samuel Speaks to David (1390-1400), manuscript, 35.5 × 26 cm, French. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, M.526, fol. 19v. Ref. Ford & Green (1988: #196); Rowland-Jones (2006: 7 & fig. 6-b&w). "Upper: Samuel, tapping his right index finger on his left palm, speaks to David, who carries a recorder, a harp and a hurdy-gurdy. Lower: David, seated, plays the harp before Saul" (Ford 1988, loc cit.) The window/labium and six finger-holes of the recorder are clearly depicted, and a hole for the second finger of the uppermost hand is obviously hidden beneath the owner's hand; it has a flared bell. This would be a perfect image of a recorder if it were known whether or not it has a thumb-hole. It could be a seven-holed 'intermediate' duct-flute, although the artist might have wanted as famous a musician as David to hold a fully developed chromatic recorder (with a thumb-hole).
Angel Musician (1390-1400), stained glass medalion, French. Evreux: Cathedral de Notre-Dame, Rosary Chapel in the north ambulatory, upper section of the left-hand lancet of the central bay, numbered 17. Ref. Rowland-Jones (2006a: 10 & fig. 9 - col.; 2006b: 15, front cover - col. & figs 1-2, b&w). Medallion of an angel-musician playing a duct-flute (probably a recorder). Within the period 1390-1398, 'royal windows', donated by Charles VI and Pierre de Navarre, were being installed in the choir. They were made in a Parisian workshop where the draughtsmanship was influenced by the book-illumination workshop founded by Jean Pucelle, famed for his Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux, wife of a former King of France, Charles IV. Stylistic comparison also suggests that the Rosary windows came from the same royal source. Both in Evreux and Bourges the presence of possible recorders could therefore be associated with music-making in royal courts. The Rosary windows, especially the angel-musician medallions, were restored in a sort of pre-Raphaelite style in 1893 by E. Didron. He replaced about half the medallions with single, unleaded panes, but the colouring is paler and the style shows pre-Raphaelite influence. The angel depicted in this medallion seems to have escaped his zeal, as Didron would surely have given him back his missing right eye. It is noteworthy that the artist has shown the whole instrument on one piece of glass, and that, being an unfamiliar instrument, it is turned slightly towards the viewer. The angel's hands are moved up into a position to cover only one, or perhaps two, upper finger-holes. This clearly reveals two further finger-holes, and there are possibly four more further down, although unfortunately they are blurred and rather conjectural. The actual total number of finger-holes, obviously more than six, could have been a subject of uncertainty for the artist himself. Thus this is a probable, or even a likely recorder, especially as its dating is similar to the unambiguous contemporaneus Aragonese representations.
From the Casanatense Missal: Majestas (ca 1390-1408), illumination, French. Windsor Castle: Royal Collection, MS 25010, Folio 198v. Ref. Exhibited Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen: The Limburg Brothers: Nijmegen Masters at the French Court (1400-1416) (2005); Arnold den Teuling (pers. comm., 2005); Rowland-Jones (2006b: 16-17 & figs. 3-4 - b&w). One of two sheets separated from a missal with music, now in the Biblioteca Casanatense, Rome. The illustrator is thought to have been an unknown miniaturist from the Duchy of Guelders, of which Nijmegen was the capital. The missal originally belonged to Jean d'Armagnac, archbishop of Nemours and great-grandson of Jean, Duke of Berry. One of the Windsor sheets is a Majestas (Christ in mandorla enthroned with depictions of the four Evangelists) borded by 16 musical angels. The second angel down on the right plays what is almost certainly a recorder of soprano/alto size. The thumb of the uppermost (right) hand is outstretched beneath the instrument and the fingers are curled over with the wrists low to facilitate control of the thumb-hole. All fingers are down but, presumably deliberately, are shown bunched up in order to reveal the finger-holes nearest the foot of the instrument – of which two are clear, not in line – and possibly a third. If before 1400, this representation would be as significant as the Catalan and Evreux images but, after 1400, accurate depictions become more frequent.
Musicians (late 14th century), enamelled miniatures mounted on a pulpit or fountain (table centerpiece), silver gilt and translucent enamel, 31.1 × 24.1 cm, French. Cleveland: Museum of Art, 24.859. Ref. Ford (1991: #36); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2005; 2006: 12-13 & fig. 12 - b&w). Five of the eight minatures contain musical figures. In one of them a woman at the left plays a portative organ with a rank of eight protruding pipes, using her left hand for the melody and her right to pump the bellows (this instrument has also been identified as a psaltery). At the right an oldish man with a splendid beard plays an alto/tenor sized duct-flute (the window/labium clearly visible). Both players sit on decorated bench-chairs. The images gives the impression of upper-class domestic music-making. The man has all fingers and both hands down, except possibly the first of the lower (right) hand. the instrument is outwardly conical, with some bell flare. The bore opening is wider than the mouthpiece at the player's lips. The hands are shown too sideways-on for the upper thumb to reach a thumb-hole under the instrument, but this may be an effect of the medium. This image gives the impression of informal upper-class domestic music-making.
Diptych: Annunciation, Nativity, Flagellation, Crucifixion (14th century), ivory, French (Paris). Paris: Louvre (Richelieu Wing), Inv. OA 104. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2004). "The Nativity scene is still slightly Byzantine in its iconography. The piece is small, but the detailing superb. One of the shepherds has a short cylindrical object held vertically in his right hand. I don't think it is a shepherd's staff with a piece broken off. If it is a pipe, it would be alto size." Notes from Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Tomb (14th century), carved stone, French. Avignon: Palais des Papes, Chapel. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). A tomb apparently brought from the magnificent monastery church of Chaise-Die in the Auvergne. The occupant is one Renaud de Monclare. The stone carving is exquisite. Within a wide arch across the tomb, and well frontward, is an open-work screen which incorporates medallions, each with an angel instrumentalist. One of the ten is too damaged to identify, but others play bagpipes, lute, tambourine, cornett, portative organ, vielle, psaltery played with a plectrum, and a tabor with a beater. The second down at upper right holds a beaked duct-flute with a long window/labium. It is of alto/tenor size, cylindrical with a wide bore. Unfortunately, no finger-holes are visible. It could be a flageolet or recorder.
Misericord (14th century), wood carving, France Lautenbach (Alsace): Église St.-Martin. A man with huge ears holds a twisted stick with one hand and a duct-flute with the other. The window/labium of the duct-flute is clearly depicted but there seems to be finger-holes for only one hand. The church dates from the 12th century.

German

Grotesque playing a flute, with drums (ca 1310), carved wooden medalion on choir stall, German. Köln: Cathédrale. Ref. Archiv Moeck; Website: Iconographie musicale dans les stalles médiévales (2010: Scene No. 549). An ape-like grotesque plays a cylindrical pipe with both hands, right hand uppermost. There is what appears to be a large drum in his lap and a small tabor near his shoulder.
Flute-playing Demon (1376/1400), stone-carved corbel, German. Erfurt: Cathedral. Ref. Bildarchiv Foto Marburg (2002: DISKUS-Objekt-Dokument 20224491 – b&w). At the base of a corbel supporting three pillars, a demon with outstretched wings plays a vertical cylindrical pipe with a flared bell, possibly a recorder.

Greek

The Birth of Christ (14th century), mural, Anonymous, Greek. Mystras (medieval city, near Sparta): Monastery of the Peribleptos, South aisle. Ref. Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000; 2006: 13). All murals in Mystras were restored in the 1950s and again in the 1980s. A shepherd plays a flared-bell pipe which appears to have two offset holes for the lowermost little finger, although there is no sign of a window/labium. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).

There is a striking resemblance between this shepherd, one dated 1430 from the Monastery of the Pantanessa, Mystras, and a late 16th-century one from Mt Athos (see below).

Italian

Bible of Niccolò de Montenaro, Canon of Padua: David with Musicians (ca 1300), Italian (Padua). New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, M.436, fol. 134. Ref. Ford (1988: #277); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pes. comm., 2001). Illumination of initial E, Psalm 80). "David plays a psaltery (quasitrapezoidal; incurved sides); one of his musicians plays a pair of cymbals(?); another plays a short wind instrument and a gong(?)" (Ford, loc. cit.) The wind instrument could represent a duct-flute. The black mark near the mouth seems larger and more oblong than the others representing finger-holes and thus could be a window/labium (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Virgin and Child (ca 1330), from Galeata (a commune in the Province of Forli). Forli: Civic Museum. Ref. Brown (1988: #633). In the style of Giotto. According to Brown (loc. cit.) two angels play shawm or recorder. But the instrument in question is clasped rather than fingered, and nearly half of it is below the lower (right) hand; there is little or no bell flare. Thus a small shawm seems probable (Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
Assumption of the Virgin (ca 1340), wood panel, 72.5 × 32.5 cm, by an anonymous Siennese artist at Avignon, previously attributed to Lippo Memmi (fl. 1317-1357). Munich: Alte Pinakothek. Ref. Munich: Alte Pinakothek, Inv. WAF 671. Ref. Os (1969); Brown (1995: 2, fig. 1); Rowland-Jones (1996a: pl. 1). There are striking similarities between this painting and a number of other Sienese paintings with circles of musical angels, including the Master of the Ovile Kopie des Grabsteins von Konrad Paumann. Der Stein wird heute im Bayerischen Nationalmuseums aufbewahrt. Der blinde Komponist und Organist sitzt auf einer Bank und spielt auf einem Portativ (mit der rechten Hand, linke Hand bedient den Blasebalg). Um ihn herum sind folgende Instrumente dargestellt: Laute, Blockflöte, Hare und Rebec. Madonna's Assumption at Siena (1365), and another Anonymous Sienese Assumption in Berlin (dated early 15th or perhaps late 14th century).

The Virgin ascends to Heaven on a cloud surrounded by angel musicians singing and playing straight trumpets, pipe and tabor, nakers, lute, double pipe, fiddle, organetto, shawm, and an ambiguous pipe which may be a flageolet or a recorder (no finger-holes are visible).
Thirty Bible Episodes: Coronation of the Virgin (mid-14th century), tempera on wood, Venetian. Verona: Castelvecchio Museum. Ref. St Giorgio (exhibition of recently restored paintings from Venice and region); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Christ and the Virgin are seated side by side with two angels on each side, one on each side playing an instrument. The angel on the left plays a psaltery; that on the right a slender cylindrical pipe of soprano/alto size (probably a duct-flute as the cheeks and lips seem relaxed), the left hand lowermost, no finger-holes visible.
Angel Orchestra (c. 1360), carved ceiling stone bosses. Gloucester Cathedral, Presbytery Vault, above the Great East Window. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (2009) One angel musician has a double tabor pipe; another puffs at a slightly curved pipe, probably a smallish shawm or early cornett. And one plays a soprano duct-flute (flageol or recorder) which has a window/labium. The player's lower (left) hand is drawn slightly away from the instrument and from the floor one cannot see any finger holes. Prensner dates completion of the vault as c. 1360. The vault was completed c. 1360 but repainted by Clayton & Bell between 1870 and 1895, presumably after some restoration of the stonework. If this is a recorder than it is amongst its very earliest representations.
Tacuinum Sanitatis, Fol. 71r: Castrated Animals (late 14th century), illumination on vellum, Italian School. Vienna: Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library (2003: Image ALI 142970 - col.) Surrounded by their presumably castrated animals (a bullock, goats, sheep, hogs), two shepherds sit on a wall, one playing a pipe with a conspicuously flared bell. However, there is a hint of a window/labium, and the lowermost finger-hole is visible and clearly offset, suggesting that this might be a recorder, though it might just as well represent a shawm. Tacuinum Sanitatis is the modern title given to one of the most popular treatises on medicine during the later Middle Ages. It combines Arabic and western knowledge on many types of foods, plants, and circumstances, with particular reference to their useful and harmful properties, and how the latter could be cured if necessary. The illustrated versions of this text, of which two are presented here, yield much information on medieval daily life.

Spanish

Stone carving (ca 1350), Spanish. Betanzos (near La Coruña, Galicia): Church of Santa Maria del Azogue (St Mary of the Market Place), projecting central bay of the west front portal. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). An angel plays a very fat pipe of some sort, but not enough detail to identify; no window/labium or finger-holes. The instrument is very wide at the lips of the player and so fat that his hands each only get half-way around, just reaching where the holes would be. This carving is in Romanesque style, which persisted in remoter parts of Spain into the 14th century.
Chain Portal: Angel Musician (? late 14th century), stone carving, Spanish. Orihuela (Murcia): El Salvador Cathedral, South Portal. Ref.Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "From the finial of the central ogee arch an angel plays a wide alto/tenor size duct-flute with relaxed lips and, despite some wear, a clear window/labium. The player's left hand is uppermost, with all fingers on (but this angel has only three fingers). Also, all fingers of the right hand are down with the little finger at the side possibly covering a hole. There is a medium bell flare showing wide expansion of bore" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.) Other angel musicians play rebec, psaltery, fiddle, etc. No archival documentation which might provide a more exact dating is extant for that period, when the region was much disturbed by warfare.

Swedish

Animal Musicians (1370s), carved wood, Swedish. Detail. Lund: Cathedral, stalls. The cathedral is romanesque. The one of the Gothic choir stalls carved in 1370s which depict Old Testament scenes includes a lion playing a rebec, a hare playing a pipe, and a grotesque playing a harp. The pipe is very slightly tapered.

Provenance unknown

[Title Unknown], ?14th century, woodcut. Ref. Girolamo Frescobaldi (ed. Colin Stern), Canzona for soprano or tenor recorder & basso continuo, American Recorder Society/Galliard, London (front cover). Seated under trees, two shepherds face each other. The shepherd on the left holds a crook in his left hand and a flared bell recorder in his right. His companion points with his right finger and holds a similar recorder in his left hand. Both instruments have paired holes for the lowermost finger clearly shown. This may be mock medieval, of course.

15th Century

Croatian

Coronation of the Virgin (after 1431), Croatian. Beram: Church of St Martin. Ref. Archiv Moeck, from a book on Croatian art (1972); Paris RIdIM (1999 - detail). The Late gothic church of St Martin was built in 1531. This church was decorated with frescoes that have been preserved in the eastern part of the new parish church (built at the beginning of the 20th century since the old church was incorporated within the new monumental building). Angel musicians sing and play instruments including a lute, a triangle, a pipe & tabor, and two pipes. Of the latter, one is long, slender, cylindrical and has a slightly flared-bell; there is the hint of a window/labium, and although only three fingers of the lower (left) hand seem to be covering their holes, the little finger is not visible. The other pipe is of similar length, but is wider and has a much greater flare to the bell; there are quite enough fingers and holes for this to be a recorder, though a shawm remains a possibility.
Missal of Georgii de Topusko: Flute Player (late 15th century), marginal illustration, Croatian. Zagreb: Cathedral, Treasury, ms. 354, fol. IX. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A man in tights and wide-sleeved jerkin plays an ambiguous pipe which might be a transverse or duct-flute. His upper (right) hand seems to be covering at least three holes; his left hand is held above the upper one; four open finger-holes are clearly visible below. Thus the evidence points to the recorder as a possibility.

Cypriot

The Birth of Christ (1105-1500), fresco, Cypriot. Asinou (Cyprus): Church of Panagia Phorbiotissa of Asinou, ceiling. Ref. Postcard A106: C. Tasaloufo Court Ltd, Cyprus (1999); Rowland-Jones (2006: 13); Postage Stamp, Cyprus (Christmas 1996). The famous Byzantine church in Asinou, part of UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List, is located just three miles to the south of the village of Nikitari in the Troodos Mountain range. It is home to perhaps the finest examples of Byzantine mural painting on the island. The church was probably constructed some time between the year 1099 and 1105, possibly as a family chapel for Nicephoros Magistros (who later died here in 1115). The wall and ceiling murals inside range from the 12th century through the 17th century. Fortunately, two-thirds of the original decoration of the church of the 1100's survives today. One of four panels depicting the life of Christ, shows the Nativity in which a shepherd sits aside playing a somewhat conical, beaked duct-flute with a window/labium and six or seven finger-holes.
Nativity (? 14th century), fresco wall panel, Cypriot. Solea district (Cyprus): Ayios Nikolaos tis Stegis Church, near Kakopetria. Ref. Website: Byzantine Art in Cyprus (accessed 2008). The virgin, nursing the Holy Child, is visited by the Three Kings. Behind her are six Saints. In front of her sits Joseph and a shepherd with a bagpipe. Beside her a shepherd sits playing a flared bell pipe, possibly a duct-flute. The church of Ayios Nikolaos tis Stegis (St Nicholas of the Roof) stands about 5 km above the village of Kakopetria in the Troodos Mountain range and once belonged to a monastery. It is completely painted with murals dating from the 11th to the 17th century and is considered one of the most interesting Byzantine churches on the island. It gets its name from the steep pitched wooden roof which was built to protect it from the weather.

Danish

Maria Lactans Praised by Angel Musicians (ca 1475), Danish. Detail. Brunnby (Denmark): Brunnby Kyrka. Ref. Møller (1996: 55, pl.-col.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). This simply illustrated painting includes a cylindrical, soprano-sized recorder with a rough windway/labium and some of the seven finger-holes visible. It is played right hand uppermost with four fingers on or near their holes. Three fingers/finger-holes of the left hand are shown before the rest of the instrument is occluded, including the bell.

English

[Piper] (ca 1400), stone carving, English. Elkstone (Gloucestershire): Elkstone Parish Church, tower. Ref. Recorder & Music 9 (6): front cover - monochrome (1980). A piper plays what has been said to be a 'recorder' but appears to be a double-bore reed instrument with two rows of finger-holes, a pirouette, decorative turnings and flared bell.
Panel (1390-1404), wall painting, English. London: Westminster Abbey, Chapter House. Ref. Montagu (1988); Rowland-Jones (1999c: 33; 2006: 13). This damaged panel shows the lower part of a cylindrical pipe which Montagu suggests may be a recorder.
Angel Musician (ca 1415), England. King's Lynn: St Nicholas, carved wooden roof beams. Ref. Montagu & Montagu (1998: 8-13, b&w); Rowland-Jones (1999c: 33, fig. 7 - b&w). The chapel of St Nicholas, in existence since the mid-12th century, was dependent on the parish church of St Margaret's. An early Gothic chapel was built shortly after 1200. Most of the current church's construction dates from 1421-1423 (chancel/choir) through the late 15th century (south porch).

The roof beams "are (obviously!) high up and the photographs lack clarity. Plate 12 (South 9 roof-beam) shows a tenor recorder played left-handed, 2 finger-holes visible above the right [uppermost] hand and 2 between the hands …ca 1415.' The photograph is rather small so one of the upper holes is hard to see …it is very clear that the angels have been 'touched up' in restorations. In Georgian times there was a gallery round the church, taken down in the Victorian period when, I think, some restoration of the roof carvings was carried out. The instrument's window and labium area is too sharply defined to be original and the mouthpiece is curious; both features to me lack conviction though I have no reason to suspect that the instrument was not originally a recorder." Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. com, 1999).
The Angel and the Shepherds of Bethlehem (ca 1430), woodcarving, ca 62 cm high, English. Exeter Cathedral (Devon): Lady Chapel, NW corner. Ref. Postcard, Walter Scott, Bradford (undated - b&w); Friends of Exeter Cathedral (1946: 10-11 - b&w); Recorder & Music Magazine 2(11): cover - b&w (1968); Poston (1979: cover - col.); Crispin (1968: 359); Hunt (1977: 10); Montagu & Montagu (1998 - pl. 108 - b&w); Rowland-Jones (1999c-b&w). Shows shepherds and angels at the Nativity with one of the shepherds holding a large cylindrical duct-flute which surely must be a recorder, given the offset postion of the lowest finger-hole. Variously dated as 14th-century (Hunt, loc. cit.; Crispin loc. cit., Poston, loc. cit.), and ca 1420 (Friends, loc. cit.) Purchased in a London shop but said to have been part of the stalls removed early in the 19th century (Friends, loc. cit.), but has also been thought be of Flemish origin (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Coronation of the Virgin (early 15th century), alabaster relief, 41 × 29 cm, English. Bruges: Museum, Inv. 306. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). On either side the seated Virgin, sit God the Father (who appears to be bellowing at her) and Christ (who has lost his head). At her feet are two angel musicians playing bagpipe and a more or less cylindrical pipe, possibly a recorder (the mouthpiece and other details are not quite clear enough to be sure).
Grotesque (1447), carved misericord, English. Ludlow: St Laurence's Church, north side, second from the West. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2004). A grotesque, probably a devil, plays a pipe. Unfortunately his right forearm with the whole of the upper section of the instrument is brokwn off, leaving only the mouthpice tip between his relaxed lips. The lower part of the body of the recorder is completely clutched by his left hand, below which can be seen a small portion of the body of the instrument, showing it is very slightly conical but widens a bit towards the bell end. This, however, is completely visible between the players legs, indicating the instrument was probably of tenor size. There is a fairly abrupt bell flare with three incised drings close together before the final widening of the bell. No finger-holes are visible. This may have been a recorder.
[Piper] (ca 1450), stone carving, English. Weston-on-Avon (UK): All Saint's Church, SE aspect of the tower. Ref. Recorder & Music 5(5): front cover, monochrome (1976). The bust of a man in a cloak blowing a pipe which has been considered a recorder. However, no window/labium is visible, indeed there is what appears to be the pirouette of a shawm. A hole at the bell-end is also reminiscent of the shawm rather than a recorder.
Shepherd playing a recorder, carved corbel, (ca 1451), English. Stamford: St John the Baptist church, nave wall. Ref. Montagu & Montagu (1998: pl. 106 - b&w). Shows a 'duct-flute with a very clear mouth' (Montagu & Montagu, loc. cit.) Another corbel supporting the nave wall posts shows a double 'pair of similar duct-flutes' (Montagu & Montagu, loc. cit.) "The first (pl. 106) is not a sharp picture, but adequate. The player, probably a shepherd, has the end of the instrument in his mouth; the window labium is (to me!) convincing , so perhaps this one has not been restored. The player has a staff in his left hand, and the right holds the lower body of the instrument allowing three upper holes to be seen, and one, perhaps slightly offset, below his hand. The instrument is of alto size." Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 1999).
Durham Cathedral Muniments, Magnum Reertorium fol. 43. v.: Illuminated initial 'P': Archdeacon of Durham Cathedral (ca 1463), English. Durham: University Library, Archives & Special Collections. Ref. Alan Piper to Anthony Rowland-Jones (2002, pers. comm.) The Magnum Repertorium is an inventory of the principal charters of Durham Cathedral Priory, compliled ca 1463, and the detail in the initial to the section concerning the achdeaconry of Northumberland. It depicts the archdeacon and, as the monks of Durham did not generally enjoy good relations with the holders of this office, it is likely that portraying him playing a pipe was intentionally unflattering" (Piper, loc. cit.) The Archdeacon plays one-handed a small, flared-bell duct-flute, probably a recorder although only five finger-holes are visible.
Coat of Arms of Margaret Vernon, wife of Sir William Vernon (d. 1467), stone inlaid with brass. Tong (Shropshire): Church of St Bartholomew the Apostle. Ref. Collection Walter Bergmann (rubbing in red crayon, ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 2006); Hunter (1966: 18). Coat of arms inlaid with brass showing a shield containing two recorders, an allusion to the Pype family. "The recorders are placed with mouthpieces pointing towards the upper left and right corners of shield, almost meeting at its lowest point. Around the recorders are seven small crosses of the type known in heraldry as 'crosses crosslet'. At the lower end of the brass is shown another shield with the coats of arms of husband and wife together 'marshalled': the coat of arms showing recorders appears here as the right half of the shield, indicating that it was the coat of arms of the wife, Margaret" (Hunter, loc. cit.) Hunter also notes "… one would have hoped to discover a family that was famous for the quality of the recorder playing of its members but, instead, one finds nothing more than the allusive association of Pype and the form of the instrument." And yet the recorders shown in the rubbings are really most interesting in themselves. They are in one piece with beak and window area decorated with incised rings highly reminiscent of the Dordrecht recorder, but with slightly flared bells; and the paired holes for the lowermost finger are clearly depicted on both instruments. Indeed, these depictions give every indication that their creator had a first-hand aquaintance with the recorder of the time.
Coat of Arms of the Vernon Family, stone arch. Bakewell (Derbyshire): Haddon Hall, doorway in the Curtain Wall. Ref. Walter Bergmann Collection (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers comm., 2006: print b&w; slide - col.); Hunter (1966: 18). A shield showing pairs of recorders forming a chevron, with mouthpieces close together, an allusion to the Pype family. Margaret Pipe (or Pype) of Staffordshire married Sir William Vernon (1321-1367), who became night constable of England under Edward III, and their son was Sir Henry Vernon (b. 1345) who built much of the present Haddon Hall. He dutiifully added his mother's family escutcheon to his own coat of arms and these appear frequently in the older part of the house (but not in the late 16th-century Long Gallery). The Pype heraldry is 'Azure, crusule, two pipes chevron ways, Or'. One writer suggests that the frequency of display is to confirm the Vernon's interest in retaining the Pype properties in Staffordshire!
Coat of Arms of the Vernon Family (15th century), stained glass. Bakewell (Derybsire): Haddon Hall, Chapel. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2008). Unquartered shield showing the arms of the Vernon Family, two recorders forming a chevron, with mouthpieces close together, surrounded by eight small crosses of the type known in heraldry as 'crosses crosslet'. Note that the recorders here are upside down, here. They are poorly depicted but are unlikely to have been restored.
Coat of Arms of the Vernon Family (late 15th century), stone panel. Detail. Bakewell (Derbyshire): Vernon Chapel, Parish Church of All Saints, tomb of John Vernon. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2008). Coat of arms comprising a pair of recorders forming a chevron, with mouthpieces close together, surrounded by nine small crosses of the type known in heraldry as 'crosses crosslet'.
Coat of Arms of the Vernon Family (? late 15th century), stone carving. Bakewell (Derybsire): Haddon Hall, South front parapet. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm, 2008). A quartered shield, the lower right hand quarter showing the Pype arms, two recorders forming a chevron, with mouthpieces close together, surrounded by eight small crosses of the type known in heraldry as 'crosses crosslet. Although the interior is here the Long Gallery, the external walls may have been part of the earlier building.
Angel Musician (ca 1460), wood carving. Manchester: Cathedral, nave, decorating one of the wooden support corbels for the roof, between the springers for the window arches. Ref. Hunt (1977: 9); Paris RIdIM (1999); Anthony Rowland-Jones (2003, pers. comm.); Website: Visitor Centre, Manchester Cathedral (2005 - col.) The six angel musicians on each side have recently been restored and guilded (1950). German bombing (1940) and the IRA explosion (1996) have not affected the carvings on the North side. Those on the South side play mainly string instruments; the six on the North side all play wind instruments, namely portative organ, shawm, bagpipes with arm bellows and a single chanter, Irish-style bagpipes with a chanter and one drone, trumpet and (at the West Tower, end) a recorder. The recorder is of tenor size, cylindrical except for a very slight bell flare. The player has relaxed cheeks and plays right-hand lowermost in a good recorder-playing position, all fingers down. Although all the Cathedral records have been lost, there is a belief that Margaret Beaufort (wife of the Duke of Buckingham) paid for the angel carvings ca 1460.
[Untitled] (15th century), stone carving. Beverley: St Mary's Church. Ref. Galpin 1910: 197); Hunt (1977: 9); Montagu (1998: 97-98). Quite a number of the many musician carvings in St Mary's and in Beverley Minster have been badly restored. None can be securely said to represent a recorder (Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
Angel Musician (15th century), carved stone corbel, England. Salisbury: Church of St Thomas & St Edmund. An angel, whose wings form the top of the corbel, plays a cylindrical pipe, right hand uppermost. What appears to be a window/labium and four finger-holes are clearly visible, but the foot of the instruments seems to be missing. This is likely to be a recorder. Other similar corbels in the church depict angels playing bagpipe, a small drum, psaltery, rebec, harp, organetto, and long-necked lute.
Bear playing a Pipe (?15th century), stone gargoyle, English. Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, St Mary's Church, exterior. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) A bear plays a narrowly conical pipe. Apart from several finger-holes, no details are present, so this could represent a duct-flute. Construction of the present day church began in 1478 and was completed around 1500.
Piper (15th century), stone gargoyle, England. Elkstone: Church of St John the Evangelist, great west tower, external wall. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) Two wild-eyed figures atop the massive buttresses of the tower play musical instruments. One plays a pipe with two rows of finger-holes. Perhaps the sculptor was extapolating from the recorder's double-holes for the little finger of the lowermost hand thinking that all the holes were doubled. The other musician plays a lute. Elkstone is in the Cotswolds. Its church dates from the 11th century, but the great west tower was built in the early 15th century.

Flemish

Angel-musicians (1408/9), unrestored stained glass. Detail. Bourges Cathedral Chapel, St Solange (bay 26, south ambulatory, lateral chapel), in small flamboyant upper tracery openings. Ref. Rowland-Jones (pers com.; 2006: 9). Shows clearly an angel playing a duct-flute (possibly intended to be a recorder) with nine or ten holes visible, next to the arms of Alexander V, Pope (from Berry) only during 1408/9 (Rowland-Jones 1999c: 33, fig. 6-b&w). After the accession in 1392 of Jean, Duke of Berry, brother of the King of France, Bourges became one of the foremost cultural centres in Europe.
[Untitled] (before 1430), stone carvings. Aachen Cathedral: apse (recently restored). 14 carvings, roughly life-sized, of angel musicians, only a few feet from the ground and very easily seen. The instruments include harp, fiddle, rebec, lute, symphony, drums, double pipe and a single soprano-sized pipe (possibly a duct-flute, window not clear). The latter is cylindrical, except for marked flange at the bell end, and it is played with the right hand lower; all fingers are shown down, including the right-hand little finger, presumably covering holes, with the thumb under in correct position for a recorder (Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
Tritypch: centre panel (ca 1450). Antwerp. Ref. Archiv Moeck. The Holy Family is serenaded by musicians who sing and play lutes and a small duct-flute (possibly a recorder).
From a Book of Hours: Annunciation to the Shepherds (ca 1440), Flemish (probably from Ghent or Bruges). Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België / Bibiothèque Royale de Belgique, Cat. No. 100 MS 9798 f.61v). Ref. Hottois (1982: pl. 62). Three shepherds are shown, one playing a Dordrecht-style duct-flute (four finger-holes and the window/labium of which are visible) to some indifferent sheep. His left (upper) hand covers the remaining holes, except possibly the first. His right hand is across the open end of the instrument, his first finger and thumb on each side of the turned bead suggesting that this technique is for end-stopping the bell (doubtless to bring one of the second-octave notes into tune). One of his companions has a small cylindrical duct-flute (with two finger-holes above and two below) stuffed in his belt.
Breviary from the Library of Philip the Good: Jesse Tree (ca 1455), Flemish. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België / Bibiothèque Royale de Belgique 9511, fol. 15r (13.5 × 13.5 cm). Ref. Hottois (1982: pl. 40, cat. no. 78). Twelve music-making kings, including one on the right with a double recorder and one with a pipe and tabor, the pipe, however, has too many holes for one hand and looks much more like a Dordrecht-style recorder.
From Christine de Pisan: L'Epître d'Othéa, edited by Jan Miélot (after 1460, Lille), Flemish. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België / Bibiothèque Royale de Belgique 9392, fol. 29v (11.5 × 14.5 cm). Ref. Hottois (1982: pl. 36, cat. no. 199). King Midas gets donkey's ears by making a false judgement between Phoebus Apollo playing a harp and Pan, playing a recorder with a clear window/labium all fingers of the lowermost (right) hand covering their holes, and a flared and decorated bell. In the text, the latter is called frestel and flaiol, and the harp is called a lyre. Curiously, both Apollo and Pan are winged. This is a later edition of the original in the British Library listed below (French, ca 1410). It is possibly from the library of Philippe the Good, Duke of Burgundy, Count of Flanders, Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut, who had a residence in Brussels.
Mercury and Argus, from L'Epître d'Othéa, edited by Jan Miélot (after 1460, Lille), Flemish. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België / Bibiothèque Royale de Belgique, 9392, f. 33v. Ref. Boragno (1998: 13 - b&w); Warburg Institute (2000). Within a wickerwork enclosure, Mercury enchants Argus (with his many eyes) by playing a flared-bell duct-flute (the beak, window/labium and several finger-holes are clearly visible), a scimitar at his side. Between them Io (as a heifer) looks innocently up at Mercury. To the right Mercury is seen beheading Argus who lies before him on the ground. An angel flies incongruously above, and in the background are the turrets of a castle.
Emperor Maximilian Playing Chess (ca 1480), tapestry, Flemish (Tournai). Riggisberg: Abegg-Stiftung Bern Austrellung. Ref. Besseler (1931/?1949: 210); Archiv für Musikwissenschaft 16 (1959: fig. 2, opposite p. 32 - detail); Bowles (1983: 141); Rasmussen (1999b). The Emperor Maximilian and Empress Marie of Burgundy play chess while their courtiers play instruments and sing. Bowles (loc. cit.) identifies the instruments as 'harp, lute, recorder and small fiddle'. The 'recorder' certainly is a duct-flute which could be a one-handed pipe (Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
Book of Hours: May (ca 1480), Flemish. London: British Library, Ms Add. 54782, fol. 54. Ref. Basler Jahrbuch für historische Musikpraxis 8 (1984: 37); Rasmussen (1999b). Bas-de-page. In a boat a woman plays a lute and a man plays a recorder.
Book of Hours (fragment): Angel Musicians (ca 1480), Flemish. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, M.959, folio 6. Ref. Ford (1988: #828). "Six angels play a wind instrument (probably a recorder), a psaltery, a frame harp (about nine strings), a lute (with a plectrum), a straight trumpet, and a wind instrument (probably a shawm)" (Ford, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Altarpiece: Scenes from the Life of Christ & Scenes from the Life of the Virgin (1480-1490), carved oak (painted), 310 × 170 cm, Flemish (15th century). Kerdévot: Chapelle Notre-Dame de Kerdévot. Ref. Website: Retable flamand de Kerdévot (2010). This altarpiece from the 15th century, restored in the 17th century, has six panels including four devoted to the life of the Virgin (Nativity/Adoration of the Shepherds, Dormition of Mary, Burial of Christ, Coronation of Christ) and two other panels (added in the seventeenth century), representing the Adoration of the Magi and the Presentation of the Child in the Temple. Two additional panels depicting the Baptism of Our Lord and Our Lady of Mercy are attributed to Pierre Le Déan (sculptor Quimper) and date from the seventeenth century (circa 1680). In the Nativity panel, Mary reaches down to Christ in his crib watched by a woman with a lantern. In the background, behind a wicker fence, three shepherds watch the scene, one of them playing a recorder. Beneath a decrepit porch are two more shepherds, one playing a bagipe. Another, hooded, appears behind a small window. A small angel kneels before the Child. The ox and ass look on. Unfortunately, this altarpiece was stolen in 1973. Although recovered it was severely damaged. In particular, the Nativity has lost five of it statuettes, namely the Virgin Mary, Christ in his crib, St Joseph, the shepherd piper, a woman carrying a lantern. The little angel stole also has reinstated its place. Fortunately we have photographs taken before the theft.
Coronation of the Virgin, from the Breviary of Queen Isabella of Castile (late 1480s), Flemish. London: British Library, Add. Ms 18851, fol. 437. Ref. Brussels MRBA Bulletin 9 (1960: 90); Revue du Louvre 17 (1967: 350); Kren (1983: 42); Rasmussen (1999b). "Angels play fiddle, harp, lute and woodwind (recorder?)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Mercury and Argus, from Ovide Moralisé (1484), woodcut, Flemish (Bruges). Ref. Rowland-Jones (2000c: fig. 4). Mercury, in winged helmet and winged sandals and holding an elaborate caduceus in his right hand, plays a Virdung-style flared-bell recorder in his left hand. The labium/windway and six finger-holes of the recorder are clearly depicted with a seventh covered by his index finger. Before him, Argus sits drowsily. A cock (symbol of watchfulness) at Mercury's feet struts triumphantly.
Madonna and Child (1490-1500), Flemish. Munich: Pinakothek. Ref. Web-site: flautotraverso.it To the right of the Virgin and Christ-child three angel-musicans sing and play organ and a tenor-sized cylindrical pipe, probably a recorder.
Tubal-inventor-Musicae, from Description des festivités organisées en l'honneur du mariage de Philippe le Beau et Jeanne de Castille (1496), Flemish. Berlin: Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz [State Museum of Prussian Art], Ms 78 D5, fol.59. Ref. Bowles (1983: pl. 128); Rasmussen (1999b). A tableau-vivant. A woman plays a lute and a man plays a recorder. At least three sing.
St. Luke Painting the Virgin and Child, from Description des festivités organisées en l'honneur du mariage de Philippe le Beau et Jeanne de Castille (1496), Flemish. Berlin: Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz [State Museum of Prussian Art], Ms 78 D5, fol.59. Ref. Bowles (1977: 137); Rasmussen (1999b). "A tableau-vivant. Civic (?) musicians represent angels playing small house orgen, lute and recorder." Rasmussen (loc. cit.)
Musical Angel (early 15th century), carved stone tomb, French. Chaise-Dieu (Pays d'Auvergne): Église St-Nectaire. Ref. Arnold den Teuting (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm., 2006). The tomb has an arch with 10-12 musical angels. One resembles the Thann angel, but no markings on the instrument are visble, other than a possible window/labium which could be the result of wear or damage. This may be a recorder, but more information is required.
King with a Recorder (mid-15th century), Flemish. From the brass tomb plate of the Bishop of Büow. Schwerin: Cathedral. Ref. Wiese (1988: fig. 27 - b&w); Archiv. Moeck. A king plays a cylindrical duct-flute (probably recorder).
Nativity, (15th century), Flemish. Brussels: Galerie Arents. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. There is another version (or a copy) of this in the Collection of Fernand Stuyck, Antwerp. Mary prays and Joseph holds out his hand to the Christ Child as a cow looks on, eyes wide. Angels kneel on either side, and two angel musicians play lute and a cylindrical recorder. Not seen.
Backgammon Board, decorated borders (15th century), Franco-Flemish. Florence: Bargello. Ref. Brown & Lascell (1972: 144-145). In one panel a woman and a man play harp and a conical pipe – 'shawm or recorder' (Brown & Lascell (loc. cit.)
Triptych, central panel: Nativity (15th century), 0.84 × 36 cm, Flemish. Ghent: Museum voor Schone Kunsten. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). Mary prays before the Christ Child watched by two diminutive angels. Joseph holds what appears to be a musical pipe, perhaps given to him as a gift for his son. Other visitors look on from the side and through open windows behind. Two angels hover overhead. It is easy to imagine tht the top of the 'pipe' is beak-shaped and slightly rounded; there seems to be a window-labium area darker than the rest of the instrument; and one can just make out three finger-holes. However, close examination shows that this is far more likely to be a candle rather than a musical instrument!
Illumination (15th century), Flemish. Madrid: Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Library, Lat. Vit.-1, Apocalypse f.5v. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "Two small duct-flutes lie on a table. They are identical, each with a clear beak, window/labium and four finger-holes. Although short and quite fat for their size they have a fair amount of bell flare and bore flare. There is one incised ring on each, just before the bell end. The finger-holes are spaced equally down the body of the instrument; as four finger-holes would not make a satisfactory flageolet unless there are two thumb holes underneath (and this seems too early for the French style flageolet) these may be attempts at recorder representations." (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Courtiers from Geldern (15th century), pen and brown wash, Flemish. Detail. Uppsala: Universitetsbibliotek, U.B.H.Ned.74 Ref. Postcard: Uppsala Universitetsbibliotek (2000); RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000, 2001). This unfinished drawing could be interpreted as an attempt at wife-swapping! Whilst his lady is busily engaged in gossiping with another woman, a young man points with a small duct-flute (possibly a recorder) to another lady, whose sexual warmth is stimulated by her lap dog. Lapdogs were proscribed by the Church for this very reason. The mouthpiece of the instrument is rather indefinite, but the window/labium is clear and three upper finger-holes show above the owner's hand, one below and a further hole sightly higher, almost underneath the instrument (although this may be a mark on the paper). There is no bell flare. The young man's recorder indicates, as so often elsewhere, male sexual desire. Note the husband's disapproval, and the knowing look on the other lady's face! The drawing may have been an illustration to a novella. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Mercury and Argus, from a work by Christine de Pisan (15th century), ? Flemish. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België / Bibiothèque Royale de Belgique. Ref. Warburg Institute, London (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Mercury sits king-like on a large throne, holding in his left hand, like a sceptre, a very prominent duct-flute. It is of alto size and shape, but only three finger-holes are visible towards the bottom end. Argus lies outstretched, dead on the ground before him. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).
Shepherds Making Music (late 15th century), tapestery, Flemish. ?Munich: Location unknown. Ref. Postcard, Ackermanns Kunstverlag, Munich (1965 - col.); Walter Bergmann (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm., 2003). Watched by a shepherd wearing gloves, his crook over his shoulder, two shepherds play fiddle and a duct-fluct respectively. The duct-flute is curved and expands continuously from beak to foot in the manner of a gemshorn; it is decidely rectangular in cross-section! All fingers of the players lowermost (right) hand are covering their holes.

French

Book of Hours: Grotesque (1408), illumination, French. Oxford: Bodleian Library, MS Douce 144, f.28v. The pipe shown in illus.2, from a Book of Hours in the Bodleian Library, dated 1408, does appear to be beaked, which suggests that it is a duct-flute, and it has a recorder’s full complement of seven finger-holes, counting the paired little-finger-holes (and the curious first finger-hole) as one. Above the latter, a little separated from the line of finger-holes, is another mark which could possibly stand for a window/labium, but it is wrongly shaped. And there is no way of knowing whether or not there is a thumb-hole underneath (Rowland-Jones, loc cit.)
Minstrels (14-15th century), stone capitals. Cérisy-la-forêt (Manche): Abbey (interior). Ref. Archiv Moeck; Christian Brassy (2000, pers. comm.); Bildarchiv Foto Marburg 160431; Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). The church itself is 11th-century Romanesque. Otherwise somewhat austere, it includes carvings of minstrels playing shawm and duct-flute very high up on a capital south of the sanctuary. Although rather fat, the latter is suggestive of a recorder, given the offset hole for the little finger of the lowermost (right) hand. Although the church has recently been cleaned the carvings seem not to have been tampered with and may therefore be taken as original.
Shepherd Musicians (? 15th century), fresco, French. Boussac (Creuse): Égise paroissiale Ste-Anne , on the South wall of the main chapel. Ref. Matte (2005 - col.) Two shepherds stand side by side. One plays a bagpipe; another has a cylindrical duct-flute stuck in his belt. The characteristic beak and window/labium are clearly depicted.
Jesse Tree (1410), from Bible Historiale, Paris. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België / Bibiothèque Royale de Belgique, MS 9002, f. 223. Ref. Hottois (1982: cat. 14, pl. 41); Page (1997: 349, fig. 8 - b&w); Rowland-Jones (1999c: 33; 2006: 6-7 & fig. 5a - b&w). A Jesse Tree, in which the Virgin and Child are surrounded by the Kings of Judah playing musical instruments including nakers, bagpipe, marine trumpet, fiddle, harp, organetto, rebec, psaltery, lutes and a duct-flute, probably a recorder. The latter is of tenor size, slightly outwardly conical in exterior outline, although the bore opening, which is visible, is quite small. The window/labium area is clearly shown, as are three finger-holes low down on the body of the instrument, under a badly placed lower (left) hand. The first finger of the upper hand appears to cover its hole, which is placed unusually low down the instrument, with the three other fingers poised. The fact that it is of tenor size gives some credence to its identification as a recorder; Hottois (loc. cit) describes this instrument as a cornet. The Bible Historiale was the predominant medieval translation of the Bible into French. It translates from the Latin Vulgate significant portions from the Bible accompanied by selections from the Historia Scholastica by Peter Comestor (d. c. 1178), a literal-historical commentary that summarizes and interprets episodes from the historical books of the Bible and situates them chronologically with respect to events from pagan history and mythology. It was composed between 1291 and 1295 (1294 old system) by priest and canon Guyart des Moulins. The work was copied in many manuscripts, of which more than a hundred survive, most of them richly illuminated, some with more than 300 miniatures.
Jesse Tree (1411), from Thomas du Val's Bible Historiale, in French. London: British Museum, Royal 19. D. iii f 458. Detail showing musicians. Detail showing what may be a recorder. Ref. Montagu (1976: 45, pl. VI); Rowland-Jones (2006: 7 & fig. 5b-b&w). The Virgin and Child are surrounded by kings playing musical instruments, amongst them an ambiguous pipe. The latter is outwardly conical and, although the hands are in a recorder-playing position, it is held upwards at an angle above horizontal. There is an incised decorative ring round the bell-end, a common decorative feature of early recorders, but no other details are apparent. The Bible Historiale was the predominant medieval translation of the Bible into French. It translates from the Latin Vulgate significant portions from the Bible accompanied by selections from the Historia Scholastica by Peter Comestor (d. c. 1178), a literal-historical commentary that summarizes and interprets episodes from the historical books of the Bible and situates them chronologically with respect to events from pagan history and mythology. It was composed between 1291 and 1295 (1294 old system) by priest and canon Guyart des Moulins. The work was copied in many manuscripts, of which more than a hundred survive, most of them richly illuminated, some with more than 300 miniatures.
Petites Heures de Jean de Berry (1375-1416): A Dominican priest blesses a prince watched by Christ surrounded by angel musicians (1388), illumination, 9 × 7 cm, French. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, BNF, LAT 18014, fol. 8. Ref. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris: Le roi Charles V et son temps (1338-1380), 1000 enluminures du Département des Manuscrits (2002 - col.); Rowland-Jones (2006: 4). Twelve musical angels play pipe and tabor, bagpipe, organetto, nakers, lute, cymbals, vielle, psaltery, and two pipes. One, on the left hand side of the illumination, has a flared bell seems most likely to represent a shawm since it is amongst the loud instruments. The other, at the top right hand corner, is narrowly cylindrical and is more likely to be a duct-flute, possibly a recorder since it is amongst the soft instruments. One musical angel is hidden behind a copy of the Bible held by Christ.
Angel Musicians (ca 1390-1420), sandstone carving, French. Thann (near Mulhouse), France: Colliègiale St-Thiebaut, West Portal. Ref. Commission Regionale, d Alsace (1980: 163-164, 306-307); Kirner (2000); Arnold den Teuling (pers. comm., 2001); Office de Tourisme du Pays de Thann (2001); Website: Cahiers de Tourdion (2001); Postcard, Beau'Lieu, Lyon, 68800 (a. 2002); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Angel musicians adorning the outer archway of the West Porch (Grand Portal) play, shawm (with a bulbous foot), harp, fiddle, psaltery, nakers, a broken instrument (possibly a trumpet), lute, syrinx, another fiddle, triangle, monochord, cymbals, another lute (at least one of the lutes is a long-neck lute), portative organ, another harp (the harps are nearly triangular), and a cylindrical recorder, the window/labium and several finger-holes of which are very clear, including paired-holes for the little finger of the lowermost (right) hand. An angel on the top of the column with angels on the north-west corner was restored by Hils (1888-1892). Thus the reed and pirouette of the shawm has been replaced with the beak, window/labium and two finger-holes of a duct-flute, though the player has retained the puffed cheeks characteristic of shawm-playing. The recorder player appears never to have been subject to restoration.

Kirner (loc. cit.) writes that the balance of opinion is in favour of the sculptor being from Swabia who may have worked on the West Portal at Ulm and perhaps also at the South Portal at Augsburg Cathedral. Although some have argued for earlier dates, the characteristic armour of soldiers depicted in a number of scenes and other evidence indicates that the work was started around 1390 and completed around 1420. There is no archival material in existence.
Bethlehem Triptych: Beggar with a Recorder (ca 1430), French. Moulins: Cathedral Treasury. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999. A fierce-looking beggar (or shepherd) in tatters seated on the ground holds in one hand a cylindrical duct-flute with a slightly flared bell. The offset hole for the little finger of the lowermost hand is clearly depicted, though there seems to be an extra finger-hole.
Nativity (1420/30), wood, 46 × 48 cm, French (Paris or Dijon). Antwerp: Collection Fernand Stuyck. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). "This picture is exactly the same (an incredibly accurate copy?) as the 15th-century Flemish Nativity in the Galerie Arents, Brussels" (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.) Mary prays and Joseph holds out his hand to the Christ Child as a cow looks on, eyes wide. Angels kneel on either side, and two angel musicians play lute and a cylindrical recorder.
Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary: May (ca 1450), from a Book-of-Hours, French. Baltimore, USA: Walters Art Gallery, MS W269, f.16. Ref. Bowles (1983). From a private devotional book apparently made for a married couple, possibly by Willem Vrelant & Associates. Along the bottom margin of one of the pages, two couples play musical instruments, while a third couple plays backgammon. On the left a couple play rebec and an ambiguous pipe (possibly a recorder as a shawm would be too loud for the context, and would not have been played in the courtly situation depicted). On the right a couple play harp and lute; above them, a man plays another ambiguous pipe.
René II Copying the Psalms (ca 1442-1453), from the Breviary of King René II of Lorraine. Detail, showing a tenor recorder. Paris: Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, MS 601, f. 2V. Ref. Encycl. Mus. (?date, 528 & pl. 33); Abbiati, in Fabbri (?date, 1: 355); Pincherlé (1959: 27 - col.); Bowles (1983: 38, pl. 11); Early Music (1991: May); Musical Times Early Music Calendar (1993: March - col.); Alamire C5 (1996); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Musicians surround the King as he works, including players of straight, trumpet, tabor, fiddle, harp, portative organ, hammered dulcimer and a flared-bell tenor recorder.
The Household Musicians (ca 1442-1453), from the Breviary of King René II of Lorraine. Paris: Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, MS 601, f. 44r. Ref. Olimpio (1956: 2665-2666); Bowles (1983: 38, pl. 10); Wiese (1988: fig. 33 - b&w); Archiv Moeck. Musicians practice, to the distraction of the labourers in the garden outside. They play straight trumpets, vielle, harp, hammered dulcimer and two recorders, one a tenor (very clearly shown). The window/labium is very clear on both instruments. The nearer player shows two lower finger-holes in line. The bell is slightly flared with a widening bore. Notes (in part) by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).
From Christine de Pisan: L'Epître d'Othéa, (1450-1475): Mercury, playing his flute, puts Argus to sleep to steal Io, changed into a cow, miniature on vellum, 4.5 x 90 cm, French (Burgundy). The Hague: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, KB 74 G 27, Fol. 31r: min. Ref. Koninklijke Bibliotheek: Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts (2002). Mercury (who is unusually hirsute and seems to have lost his bottom half) plays a cylindrical duct-flute (possibly a recorder) one-handed, holding Io by her halter. Argus, with eyes all over his body, wearing a large red hat, seems asleep on his feet.
Book of Hours of the Ducs d'Orléans: Annunciation to the Shepherds (1460-1470), French. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale n. a.lat **, fol. 65v. Ref. Porcher & Seilern (1961: No. 21, pl. 73); Rasmussen (2002-2004: Bagpipe). "One shepherd has a recorder (pausing). Another, riding on a donkey, plays a bagpipe" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
The Shepherds Dametas and Menalcas Challenging each other to a Musical Contest, from The Eclogues by Virgil with a commentary by Servius (1469), illumination on vellum, French. Dijon: Bibliotheque Municipale. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library, GIR 187798 (2009 - col.) In a forest littered with tree-stumps, a shepherd doffs his hat to another. Both hold clearly depicted recorders with flared bells. Each has a small tuning hole just above the foot. The focus on recorders in the illuminations of this manuscript is similar to those by the Master of the Vraie cronicque descoce in another 15th-century manuscript version of the Eclogues held in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague.
Shepherds by a River, from The Eclogues by Virgil with a commentary by Servius (1469), illumination on vellum, French. Dijon: Bibliotheque Municipale. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library, GIR 187864 (2009 - col.) Beside a stream, two shepherds face each other, each holding a crook in one hand and a clearly depicted flared bell recorder in the other. Each recorder has paired holes for the little finger of the lowermost hand. The focus on recorders in the illuminations of this manuscript is similar to those by the Master of the Vraie cronicque descoce in another 15th-century manuscript version of the Eclogues held in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague.
An Exchange of Gifts, from The Eclogues by Virgil with a commentary by Servius (1469), illumination on vellum, French. Dijon: Bibliotheque Municipale. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library, GIR 187866 (2003 - col.) Two shepherds exchange gifts on a road leading to a walled, towered city. One gives a lamb which he places on his companion's shoulder; the other gives a recorder. The beak, window/labium, finger-holes and flared bell of each recorder are clearly depicted. The focus on recorders in the illuminations of this manuscript is similar to those by the Master of the Vraie cronicque descoce in another 15th-century manuscript version of the Eclogues held in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague.
Annunciation to the Shepherds (ca 1480), illumination, French. Ref. Website: Habetrot (December, 2006). Three shepherds, a shepherdess and their dog look heavenwards as an angel flys overhead with a banner. One of the shepherds holds a bagpipe, another holds a conical, slightly curved pipe which could be a recorder. In the background their sheep graze obliviously, and others are let into the pen by two more assistants.
Initial from the Graduale of King Matthias I of Hungary (ca 1480/90), probably North French. Budapest: Corvinus, Ms Clmae 424, fol. 69'. Ref. Wiese (1988: fig. 31 - b&w); Archiv. Moeck. The King and Queen watch a religious procession led by musicians playing pipe and tabor and lute.
Maison du Pilier aux Trois Flûtes (ca 1490), wooden carvings, French. Bourges: Rue Bourbonnoux. Ref. Editions Valoire-Blois: postcard B.P. 45-41260, La Chaussée-Saint-Victor (col.); Recorder Magazine 18(1): cover - col. (1998); Rowland-Jones, A. (1998: 34). Three enormous cylindrical recorders form the corner pillar holding up a 15th-century house, now a patisserie. Seven finger-holes are clearly shown with paired holes for the lowermost finger.
Grand Calendrier et compost des bergers (1491): Shepherd's Calendar, woodcut, French. Ref. Salmen (1976, pl. 2); Early Music News #81 (1984, cover). A shepherd with a bagpipe makes an announcement to his companions who are seated. On the ground are two small flared-bell duct-flutes (probably recorders). The same woodcut was used in the Geneva editions of 1491 and 1500. Almost identical to a coloured woodcut at Angers (see below).
? Nativity Shepherds (15th century), coloured woodcut, French. Ref. Pierre Boragno (pers. comm., 2008. A shepherd with a bagpipe makes an announcement to his companions who are seated. On the ground are two small flared-bell duct-flutes (probably recorders). Almost identical to the non-coloured woodcut noted above.
Heures à l'usage de Paris: Annunciation to the Shepherds (1498), metal engraving, printed by Philippe Pigouchet for Simon Vostre, French (Paris). Ref. Berthail (1986: 61, fig. 49; 82); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). Four shepherds with their sheep, goats and dogs outside the walls of a town look up at angels bearing a banner. One of the shepherds who is seated holds a clearly depicted recorder of soprano/alto size, slightly flared. This engraving may also appear in the Nates Hours (see below).
Heures à l'usage de Nantes: May (late 15th century), metal engraving, printed by Philippe Pigouchet for Simon Vostre, French (Paris). Paris: Biblioth&egave;que Nationale. Ref. Berthail (1986: 83, fig. 58); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). Border of a calendar depicting three couples in a garden: one promenading, a second sitting talking whilst she makes a wreath, and a third sitting with her holding a blossom and him playing a flared-bell recorder, the beak and window of which are clearly illustrated. This engraving was used again by Philippe Pigouchet in Heures à l'usage de Machon, also printed for Simon Vostre (1502).
Heures à l'usage de Nantes: Annunciation to the Shepherds (late 15th century), metal engraving, printed by Phillipe Pigouchet for Simon Vostre (Paris). Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale. Ref. Berthail (1986: 66, item 56). With Joseph standing behind them, the Virgin and the Christ-child are visited by shepherds and shepherdesses. In the foreground two shepherds kneel. 'Le beau Roger', the shepherd on the right with a dog on a lead and his crook in his left hand, holds what must be a tenor recorder up to the Christ-child in his right.

By the late 15th century, much of the demand for Books of Hours was being met by printers who used woodcuts, or in this case metal-cuts, instead of hand-drawn illustrations. Among the most successful producer of books of hours was the Parisian publisher Simon Vostre [d.1522?] who issued numerous editions from the 1490s until his death. In some the plates were coloured (see below).
Mercury (1499-1500), woodcut from Christine de Pisan's Les Cent Histoires de Troye, Paris, French. Ref. Rowland-Jones (2000c, fig. 3). Argus is lulled asleep by Mercury who plays his pipe one-handed, holding Io (as a heifer) by the halter in the other hand. " The woodcut shows no details of the pipe, but it is referred to (three times) in the text as a 'flag(e)ol', which usually means a six-holed duct-flute. Note the Christian moralising in the 'Allegorie'. A humane Mercury, well disguised, seems to have no intention of beheading Argus, who is somnolent and fails to notice Io being led away (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
From Ovid's Metamorphoses, in a French translation by Colard Mansion: Pan (15th century): Pan, woodcut, French. B Br. Ref. Boragno (1998: 10 - b&w). There is a version of this work in the National Library of the Netherlands, Amsterdam(Royal 2º, 391 leaves) published in 1484. Pan stands in a farmyard, a shepherd's crook in his left hand, playing a flared bell duct-flute in held his right. The window and four finger-holes are visible, but this probably represents a tabor pipe rather than a recorder.
Grotesque playing a Recorder (15th century), French. Oxford: Bodleian Library: MS Douce 144, Roll 137, No. 21, fol. 28v. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. com, 1999). A grotesque plays a fat cylindrical instrument of soprano or alto size. It has paired holes for the lowermost finger. All the other six finger-holes are clear. The beak is held close to but not in the mouth. The window/labium is not visible (unless it is one odd mark!) Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Les Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame: Annunciation to the Shepherds (15th century), illuminated miniature, Northern French. Paris: Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, ms. 1274, f. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999); Fine Art Facsimile Edition, Faksimile Verlag, Lucerne. One of the masterpieces of 15th century European book illumination. Lavishly decorated, this illuminated manuscript is a small part of a much larger manuscript. Since 1956 it has been kept in the National Library of France and is revered as a national treasure. In this miniature, two of the shepherds, surrounded by their sheep, seem to be arguing with each other as the Archangel reads his message from an enormously long scroll, as if he has forgotten his lines. A third shepherd looks the other way, playing on his slightly conical duct-flute with one hand. The instrument seems to have rather too many finger-holes to be a tabor pipe.
Recorder Player (15th century), carved misericord, French. Flavigny-sur-Ozerain (Côte d'Or): Choir stalls. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A glowering man in a cloak and with a foreshortened body plays a cylindrical duct-flute, probably a recorder, though his fingers seem to be covering four holes with the upper (right) hand and three with the lower.
Nativity Scene (15th century), woodcut from a Book of Hours, French. Ref. Ruhland (1996: 13); Rowland-Jones (1999: 128, fig. 3); Lasocki (2000: 11). The shepherds bring gifts to the infant Jesus in his mother's lap. One, kneeling, presents the infant with a gently flared duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) which is bigger than the baby itself! A second shepherd approaches to present his bagpipes.
Angel Musician, stained-glass (15th century), French. Moulins: Cathedral. Ref. Christian Brassy; Rowland-Jones (2006: 10). An angel musician plays a very clearly depicted recorder of alto/tenor size, right hand uppermost The beak, window/labium and prominently flared bell are clearly illustrated; there appear to be rather more holes than fingers.
Stained-glass (late 15th - early 16th century), Rouen school, French. Caudebec (Normandy): Église Nôtre Dame, North aisle. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). Tracery lights includes angel musicians playing various instruments, including an ambiguous pipe (duct-flute or shawm). The Église Notre Dame was built from 1425-1539.
Angel Musicians (late 15th - early 16th century), stone carving (flamboyant style), French. Caudebec (Normandy): Église Nôtre Dame, organ loft (stone support). Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). From a cornice, an angel musician plays an ambiguous pipe (possibly a duct-flute). The Église Notre Dame was built from 1425-1539.
Angel Musician (late 15th - early 16th century), stone carving (flamboyant style), French. Caudebec en Caux (Normandy): Église Nôtre Dame, West Front, South Portal, tympanum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). The tympanum is decorated with angel musicians one of whom plays an end-blown pipe which might represent a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) but is probably a shawm, since it has a wide bell, no window/labium is shown and his neighbour plays a bagpipe. Other instruments include organetto, psaltery, dulcimer, fiddle, drum, lute, cymbals, shawm, trumpet. However, an angel at the top inner left of the carvings within the tall arch of the central portal does seem to be playing a recorder, though it is a rather curious one. The incision at the top of his cylindrical instrument seems to represent a window/labium; the finger-holes are very carefully shown, but the bell-end is set-back where it appears to have broken off while the original sculpture was being made and to have been mended in such a way as to look right viewed straight on. The bell end clearly shows its paired holes for the lowermost litle finger. The Église Notre Dame was built from 1425-1539. It is believed that these sculptures have not been restored.
Le Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris & Jean de Meun: The Dance of Mirth, (15th century), manuscript illumination. London: British Library, Ms Harley 4425, fol. 14v. Ref. British Museum (1925: pl. XLVII); Musica Calendar (1965: 18 April - 1 May - col.) Kren (1983: 52, 54 & pl. VIII - col.; as by the Master of the Prayer Books of ca 1500); MgB III/8: 93 (? date; as ca 1490, as Garten des Frohsinns [Garden of Mirth]); Rasmussen (2000). "Five dancing couples are accompanied by players of harp, pipe (long) and tabor and recorder (?)" (Rasmussen 2000).
Carved ivory comb (15th century), French. Location unknown. Ref. Warburg Library A657-1910; Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). The handle of the comb depicts a wedding accompanied by a lutenist and a recorder player. The recorder is flared with the paired holes for the lowermost finger clearly depicted.
Chansons d'Amour – The Copenhagen Chansonnier: Ja que lui ne s'i attende: Decorated initial 'J' (15th century), France. Copenhagen: Bibliothèque Royale de Copenhague – Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Manuscript Department, Thott 291 8º. Ref. Kongelige Bibliotek (2002 - col.) A man wearing a beautiful blue tunic and a magnificiently feathered cap plays a long tenor-sized duct-flute with a widely flared bell. The window/labium is clearly depicted and six finger-holes are visible. The thumb seems to be in the right position for recorder-playing, but the disposition of the player's fingers is haphazard.
Musical Angel (15th century), stained glass, French. Bourges: Cathédrale Saint-étienne. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library (2009: Image ID GIR 206436 - col.); Rowland-Jones (2006: 11 & fig. 10 - col.) The fame of Bourges increased when its archbishop became Pope Alexander V in 1408, although he died a year later. His arms may be found in the unrestored tracery glass high up in the south ambulatory chapel now dedicated to St Solange. In the glass immediately to the right of the pope’s arms is a winged angel playing what is clearly a recorder. Details of the beak, window/labium and finger-holes (including paired holes for the lowermost finger) are clearly visible. There is an additional hole just below the paired lowermost finger-hole. His cheeks are unnecessarily puffed, and, as at Evreux, the artist seems to have been uncertain about the actual number of finger-holes in what was to him probably an unfamiliar new instrument. To err in the right direction he has therefore marked in some nine or ten holes, with confusion of fingering to match. There is a second recorder in this stained glass (see below).
Musical Angel (mid-15th century), stained glass, French. Bourges: Cathédrale Saint-étienne. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library (2009: Image ID GIR 155350 - col.); Rowland-Jones (2006: 11). See above. The glass is mid-15th century and unambiguously depicts a recorder; between and below the paired little-finger-holes it unusually has a small tuning hole. It is roughly coeval with another alto recorder representation in the stained glass of the Cathedral of Moulins, not greatly distant.
Angel Musician (15th century), stained glass, French. Evreux: Church of St Taurin, top left tracery of large window on S side of chancel. Ref. Rowland-Jones (2006: 8 & 23 - footnote). There is a probable duct-flute, with a beaked mouthpiece, played by an angel-musician. During the 14th century the counts of Evreux were related to the kings of France by marriage. They were also from 1349 to 1425 kings of Navarre, adjacent to the kingdom of Aragon, renowned for the culture of its courts.
Domestic altarpiece (15th century), wood & mother of pearl, 68 × 63.5 cm, French. Munich: Bayerische Nationalmuseum, Inv. R 673. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002: Mbnm - 309/2). Richly carved with scenes from the life of Jesus. To the right of the lower of two Nativity scenes are two shepherds: one, kneeling against his stave, holds a bagpipe; his companion standing behind him holds a flared-bell recorder. The beak and the hint of a window/labium are visible, and four finger-holes can be seen, the remainder covered by his clutching right hand with the exception of an offset hole for the lowermost little finger. To the right of the upper Nativity scene a panel depicting ? Mary and Elizabeth with putti standing on pillasters at each side, that on the left playing a lute, that on the right a pipe (possibly a duct-flute).
Book of Hours: Adoration of the Shepherds (ca 1495-1500), French. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, H.5 (Plummer, 93), folio 55. Ref. Ford (1988: #569); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "One shepherd offers a recorder to the Christ-Child; a second holds a bagpipe" (Ford, loc. cit.). Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.) notes that this provides another example of the recorder offered as a gift (of his music and of himself) by a shepherd at the crib. Not seen.
Angel Musician (? 15th century), painted wood carving, French. Valleé-de-la-Tet (Languedoc-Roussillon): ? Church (donated in 1735). A putto adorning the canopy of a carved Virgin and Child plays a conical pipe with the fingers of both hands in perfect recorder-playing position.
Mercury and Argus, from an edition of Petrarch's Trionfi (?15th century), French. Paris: Arsenal Library MS 5066 f. 15r. Ref. Warburg Institute, London; Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Mercury holds his caduceus in one hand and plays a flared-bell duct-flute (possibly a recorder) held in the other. Argus dozes in front of him and a cock struts about the place. Io (as a heifer) is held by the halter by Mercury. In her side a panel has opened to show Io herself inside! A verse above refers to 'le flageolleur mercure'.
Angel Musicians (?15th century), stone bas relief, French. Saint-Quentin (Aisne): Hôtel de Ville. Ref. Matte (2001–, col.) Atop the arches of a decorative facade of the building angel musicians play bagpipes, vielle, harp, marine trumpet, and a flared-bell pipe which is probably a shawm but possibly a duct-flute.
Pastoral Scene, late 15th century), tapestry, French (Burgundian). London: Art market (1936). Ref. Exhibition, Brooklyn Museum, European Art 1450-1500 (1936: pl. 157); Rasmussen (2002, Bagpipe). "Includes shepherds playing a bagpipe and holding a recorder" (Rasmussen, loc. cit). Not seen.
Holy Trinity (late 15th century), miniature on parchment, French. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. Fol. 77 v. Ref. Munich (2009, Mbs - H 525). The illustration occupies about two thirds of the page and is surrounded by rich flora motifs. The Holy Trinity, surrounded by priests, saints and angels, including angel choristers and musicians who play harp, duct-flute (probably a recorder), and positive organ.
Angel Musician (15th century), fresco, French. Ariège: L'Eglise Notre Dame de Tramezayques d'Audressein, entrance porch, underside of curved archway. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) Angels play lute and a tenor-sized slender cylindrical pipe, possibly a recorder, left-hand uppermost. On the opposite side of the archway angels play harp and rebec. The church dates from the 13th century and was englarged in the 14th century. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

German

Decorated box (15th century), German. Hamburg: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Inv. 1954.13. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Hmkg - 17). On the lid of the box are 6 panels. Top left is a falconer in the middle of an enclosed structure; to the right, a woman brings the falconing glove. Below left, a woman plays on a harp in the middle of a fountain; to the right, a man plays a recorder. Not seen.
Triptych, right wing: Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1426-1450), oil on panel, 51.5 × 19.5 cm, German (Lower Rhine School). Köln (Cologne): Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, 533. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999: KNwr - 122). Mary, helped upwards to Jesus in Heaven by two angels, is surrounded by angel musicians singing and playing portative organ, and a cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) with a small window/labium beneath which is a circle which may represent a maker's mark. Lower down, four or possibly five finger-holes show above the players left hand which seems to touch a hole close to the cylindrical end of the instrument.
Crucifixion (ca 1450), painting, Austrian. Hallstatt: ?Pfarrkirche Mariae Himmelfahrt. Ref. Stange (1934-1961, XI: no. 225); Rasmussen (2002, Horn). "Figures include a Jew (?) with a little curved horn. There is also a handsome, aristocratic youth beside the cross with a recorder" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Enthroned Virgin and Child with two Angels (ca 1460), German. Berlin: Gemäldegalerie. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "One angel plays a mandora (not well depicted). The other plays an alto/tenor size pipe, held a little upwards with both hands close together near the top of the instrument, left hand uppermost. The player's face and lips are relaxed, and the instrument has a beaked mouthpiece, inverted (so the window/labium would not be visible). The body of the pipe is cylindrical, with four finger-holes below the hands, and an elongated bell with considerable flare. A tuning hole is near the bell. This seems to be an amalgam of a shawm and a duct-flute" (Anthony Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Recorder-playing Angels (ca 1470), stone carvings, German. Konstanz: Cathedral, choir stalls, N side. Ref. Archiv Moeck. Two angels face each other playing cylindrical recorders with beaded foot tenon.
Maria im ährenkleid (1470-1480), oil on panel, 101 × 70 cm, German (Cologne School). Ulm: Museum der Brotkultur (formerly Deutsches Brotmuseum). Ref. Greeting Card: Deutsches Brotmuseum, Ulm (1955 - col.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). "Mary wears a cloak decorated with ears of corn signifying regeneration. Beside her, are three angels with a large sheet of music; one holds a cylindrical soprano recorder (? used as a pitch-pipe) in the right hand. The beaked mouthpiece is fixed on to the body of the instrument, but no window/labium is visible. Two marks below the players hand could be finger-holes. The bell-end is hidden. The painting is too small to expect identifying details" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.) In the photograph provided by Rowland-Jones the window/labium can be discerned.
Tombstone of Conrad Paumann (1410-1473), bas-relief. Munich: Bavarian National Museum. Ref. Peter (1958: 44); Rowland-Jones (1995: 45, footnote 8; pers. comm., 2002); Lasocki (2003: 9 - b&w; 2004a: 19 - b&w). Originally from the Marienkirche, Munich. Above the great blind multi-instrumentalist and composer himself playing a small organ hang a lute, a harp and a flared-bell recorder, the window/labium and holes for seven fingers clearly visible, the lowermost paired. On the ground beside him is a rebec. There is a sketch of this by Karl Ballenberger (1801 -1860) in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt (Inv. 55521).
Musical Clerics in a Library (ca 1475), from Valerius Maximus' Histoires, MS Harley 4375, f. 151v. London: British Library. Ref. Bowles (1983: 143, pl. 111); McGee (1986: 487, fig. 3 - b&w); The Museums & Galleries Collection, KGB901 (detail); Website: Alamire C6 (1996); Thomson & (1995: 35, fig. 11A). Three clerics seated on a bench, their music books behind them, play an ambiguous pipe, which may be a slender, flared-bell duct-flute (flageolet or recorder), a small lute and a harp.
The Children of Venus (1470-1480), ink drawing, German. Vienna: österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Codex Vind. 3085, fo. 24 1°. Ref. Trottein (1993: 157 - b&w). In the top panel Venus, naked, holds a circular mirror and a bunch of flowers in the other. In circular insets in each of the lower corners contain a goat (Aires) and a pair of scales (Libra). In a lower panel frizzy-haired musicians sing, play organ, lute, harp, trumpet and a flared-bell pipe (a shawm or possibly a recorder), whilst two couples dance.
Martinus Antonius altar: Ascension of Mary (1477), carved wood, German. Detail. Xanten: Dom St Victor. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) One of some 24 15th-century wood-carved altars made in the Rhine to be found in this church. Mary in her mandora is supported by two pages. Saints on either side hold banners. GGod above dispenses his blessing standing between two guardian angels hold nasty-looking clubs. Flanking them, angel musicians play a small lute and a recorder. The window/labium and flared bell of the recorder are clearly depicted and all fingers of the lowermost (left) hand are covering their holes. Heaven doesn't seem such a jolly prospect, here!
Conversation Between a King and a Fool (1486), woodcut illustrating Hans Vintler's Buch der Tugend, published by Johann Blaubirer, Augsburg, Germany. Ref. Bartch (1843-1876, 85: 228, no. 1486/207); Rasmussen (2004: Bells). The fool holds a recorder and has tiny bells on his cap. very unimp." (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Coat of arms of Reinhard von Neipperg (1486-1488), stained-glass book, German. Stuttgart: Württenbergisches Landesmuseum, Inv. KK grün 129 / KK 127-30. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2003: Slm - 163). From the Schloßkapelle, Neckarsulm. In the centre of the coat of arms a fool plays a recorder one-handed. The recorder is of alto/tenor size and has cylindrical body and a flared bell. Six finger-holes can be seen, the lowermost offset and one hidden beneath the players hand. The window/labium is clearly depicted; the bell opening is wide and the walls thin. A banner surrounding the player reads "die dun[s]t all mir gelich und sind doch vermofftig[!] stargck und rich".
From the Nitzschewitsch Marienpsalter: Annunciation to the Virgin (ca 1493), woodcut, German. Zinna (near Magdeburg): Library. Ref. Woldering (1961: 130); Rasmussen (1999a & b). "Angels in the border/margin play curved horn, portative organ, lute, woodwind (shawm? recorder? – contextually probably recorder)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
[Student Musicians] (1497), from Statutes of the Collegium Sapientiae in Freibug im Breisgau, manuscript drawing, Germany. Freiburg: University Archives, Coll. Sap. 2a, fol. 34v and 35r. Ref. Bowles (1977: 149, pl. 144); Thomson & Rowland-Jones (1995: 10, fig. 5 - b&w); Rasmussen (1999b). Two musicians face each other across the bottom of the page; one plays a lute, the other an ambiguous pipe in the tenor range, possibly a recorder).
[Angel Musician] (late 15th century), woodcarving, German. Ettal, Germany: Buch-Kunstverlag. Ref. Recorder & Music Magazine 1(3): front cover - b&w. Depicts an angel playing a wide, cylindrical recorder.
Angel Playing a Recorder, stained-glass panel, 22.55 × 8.26 cm, German (Rhineland). Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 48.1284. Depicts an angel playing a well-depicted yellow cylindrical recorder. The top three finger-holes are open, and the lower (left) hand covers all four holes. The angel's wings, hair, collar and flute are in yellow.
Coronation of the Virgin (late 15th century), stained glass, Anonymous. Cologne: Cathedral. Ref. Rode (?date, 4(1): ?page, ?fig.); Munich RIdIM (1999). An angel with a duct-flute (possibly a recorder).
Triptych: Apocalyptic Madonna and Musical Angels: Angel with a Recorder (1475-1500), free-standing sculptures, North German. Skuttunge, Uppland (Sweden): Kyrka (church), chancel. Ref. Magnus & Kjellstö (1993: 245, fig. 165); RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Around the central standing Madonna, eight angels play nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle), bagpipe, lute and a large cylindrical pipe (probably a recorder) with a Virdung-like bell (with a prominent ring at the bottom followed by a short sharp flare). All the recorder player's fingers are on,right hand lowermost. The mouthpiece is beaked but no other details can be discerned.
Virgin and Child (late 15th century), carved wooden house altar, German (Niederrhein). Frankfurt am Main: Museum für Kunsthandwerk. Ref. Frankfurt am Main, Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Erwerbungen 1949-1956, Cat. no. 27: pl. 13; Rasmussen (1999b). "Angels play fiddle, harp, lute and recorder. Very similar to the [early 16th century] Virgin and Child (private collection) below" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Virgin and Child (late 15th century), carved wooden house altar, German (Niederrhein). Location unknown (formerly Seligmann Collection, Cologne). Ref. Lüthgen (1917: pl. LV); Rasmussen (1999b). "Angels play fiddle, harp, lute and recorder. Very similar to the Virgin and Child in Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt above" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
From the Nuremberg Bible [Biblia Sacra Germanica] (1483): 2 Samuel 6, 1-5: David brings the Ark to Jerusalem, coloured woodcut, Private Collection: The Stapleton Collection. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library (2007, Image No. STC 67513). The Ark of the Covenant is carried in procession in a horse-pulled cart led by King David playing his lyre and other musicains, including a man playing a duct flute (probably a recorder). A dove flies above.
Triptych: Coronation of the Virgin (late 15th century), carved altarpiece, German. Detail. Osterwieck, Sachsen-Anhalt: Stephanikirch, altar An elaborate folding altarpiece which opens to depict the Coronation of the Virgin surrounded by saints, angels and angel musicians singing and playing tabor, lutes, vielles, organettos, and a cylindrical pipe (possibly a duct-flute). The bottom of the instrument has fallen off the top of the instrument is constricted and could represent a reed instrument or duct-flute.

Greek

Nativity (ca 1430), mural, Anonymous, Greek. Detail. Mystras (medieval city, near Sparta): Monastery of the Pantanassa. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000; 2006: 13). All murals in Mystras were restored in the 1950s and again in the 1980s. A shepherd plays a cylindrical pipe, probably a duct-flute since there appears to be a window/labium. The disposition of finger-holes and fingers is not clear. There is a striking resemblance between this shepherd, a 14th-century one from the Monastery of the Peribleptos, Mystras, and a late 16th-century one from Mt Athos (see below).

Italian

Diptych: Death and the Coronation of the Virgin (ca 1400), carved ivory, Italian (? Venice). Detail. London: Victoria & Albert Museum, A.566-1910. In the right-hand panel the Virgin is crowned to an accompaniment provided by angel musicians playing two organettos, shawms (with flared bells) and a slender cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder). Venice was one of the centres of ivory carving in Italy, much of it based on french models.
Squarcialupi Codex: marginal illustrations, (ca 1415-1420). Florence: Biblioteca Laurenziana, MS Med. Pal. 87, fol. 121v. Ref. Feltrinelli (?date: fig.); Zaniol (1984, November: 4); Thomson & Rowland-Jones (1995: 4, pl. 2A; 2006: 9-10 & fig. 8a). A page containing Landini's Musica son includes a portrait of the composer playing his organetto, and border decoration which include foliage, angels and a number of musical instruments including ud, vihuela, long-necked lute, harp, psaltery, a second organetto (played by Lady Music), a trophy of what may be three flutes, flageolets or recorders and another trio of what are clearly shawms.
Squarcialupi Codex, marginal illustrations, (ca 1415-1420). Florence: Biblioteca Laurenziana, MS Med. Pal. 87, f. 195v. Ref. Feltrinelli (?date: fig.); Zaniol (1984, November:4); Thomson & Rowland-Jones (1995: 4, pl. 2A; 2006: 9-10 & fig. 8b). On a page containing music by the organist/composer Magister Johannes of Florence are border decorations which include dancers with two shawm-players, and a number of musical instruments including waisted fiddle, a guitar-like vihuela, and a trophy of three duct-flutes (flageolets) each with six holes.
Monument to the Blessed Peacemaker of the Frari (1437), terracotta. Venice: Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Sepulchre of the Founding Friars. Around the arch above the sepulchre angel musicians play tromba marina, flute, fiddle, pipe (? shawm, recorder), timbrel, double flute, drum, and there are five singers. The pipe is wide with a gradual flare to the bell, the window labium is unclear, no finger-holes are visible, but the fingers of both hands are on the instrument. There is a 15th-century portrayal of the baptism of Christ in the lunette. Notes by Anthony Rowland Jones (pers. comm.)
Lucius Coelius Firmianus Lactantius, Opera (1460), marginal illumination, Italian (Rome). Cambridge: Fitzwilliam Museum, MS McClean 115, fol. 4v. Ref. Binski & Panayotova (2005: 339-340, item 162 - col.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). Extensive border decorations with medallions (Gideon with the Fleece, Samson with the Lion, and Judith with Holofernes) and Italian white-vine border scrolling, inhabited by 18 playful putti and several animals. One putto plays a small lute and another a small pipe, possibly a recorder. The latter is cylindrical but with a slightly flared bell revealing a wide bore-opening. There are paired holes for the little finger of the lowermost hand, but the putto plays with only one hand, his left. And there is a mark that might just possibly represent a window/labium. The instrument is played close to vertically downwards, mouthpiece lightly on the putto's lips. The scribe who copied this manuscript was Johannes Gobellini de Lins, librarius in the household of Niccolò Fortegueri of Pistoia (1419-1473), Bishop of Teano and treasurer of Pope Pius II, to whom Johannes then became papal scribe between 1461 and 1464. The illumination may have come from North of the Alps, since Johannes came from the area around Bonn and may have recommended a compatriot for the project.
Intarsia (1479-1482), intarsia, Italian. Urbino: Palazzo Ducale, Studio of Duke Federico da Montefeltro. N. side. Ref. Rotundi (1969: fig. 209; 1950: fig. 346); Guidobaldi (1994: 120, fig. 5); Rasmussen (1999c); Frings (1999: 174, pl. 15 - b&w). Perhaps after designs by Bramante (b. 1444). A panel depicts a bench on which lie a number of musical instruments, a pomegranate and a round box of what look like small nuts. The instruments include a lute and three cylindrical recorders (two sopranos, one alto) one of which has a distinctly flared bore at the foot. The curved windways and offset bottom finger-holes are clearly depicted on two of these instruments (soprano and alto). Like the neck of the lute, the recorders have decorative inlays. There is another version of this at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, originally from the Palazzo Ducale in Gubbio, designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1502), executed by Giuliano da Majano (1432–1490).
Marriage of Regnault d'Oureille (ca 1475-1490), tapestry, French. Richmond: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Ref. Catalogue, European Art (1966: 120, pl.); Rasmussen (2002, Bagpipe). "A rural scene, including a bagpiper (with a recorder in his belt)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Compost et kalendrier des bergiers: Annunciation, published by Guy Marchant, Paris (1493): Cy parle le bergier et fait ung prologue …, woodcut. Ref. Dal and P. Skårup (1908: 13); Bowles, E.A. (1977, 9: 57); Rasmussen (2002, Bagpipe). "A shepherd holds a bagpipe. There are two recorders on the ground" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) The same woodcut appears in the Grand calendrier et compost des bergers, Paris (1523), Troyes (1529) and other editions.
Apollo, the Muses and the Planets (1496), engraving from Franchinus Gaffurius' Practicaa musicae, [The Performance of Music], published by Guillermus Le Signerre, for Johannes Petrus de Lomatio, Milan (1496). Dresden: Königliche Bibliothek; Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia: Bryn Mawr College Library. Ref. Waesberghe (1969: 152, fig.); Wyss (1996: 38, fig. 14). Apollo holds his vihuela in one hand and gestures towards the three Graces (Euphrosine, Thalia and Aglaia) on his right. Above him a man plays lute in the left and another plays a fiddle in the right-hand corner. Beneath him the Muses on the left and the Planets on the right are separated by a three-headed Serpent whose heads encompasses the Earth which is surrounded by Air and Fire. Each Muse is linked to a Planet via a musical mode. The Muse Euterpe plays a cylindrical duct-flute, possibly a recorder, and is linked via the Lydian mode to Jupiter. Urania, Muse of astronomy, is paired with the sphere of the fixed stars. The same engraving appears in De Harmonia Musicorum (1518) – see below. Franchinus Gaffurius [Gafarius, Gafori, Gaffurio] was an Italian priest, composer and musical theorist who became maestro di cappella at the cathedral in Milan; his three most imortant treatises were Theorica musicae (1492), Practica musicae (1496), and De harmonia musicorum instrumentorum opus (1518); born Lodi (1451), died Milan (1522).
Page decoration, coloured engraving from Franchinus Gafurius' Practica musicae [The Performance of Music], published by Guillermus Le Signerre, for Johannes Petrus de Lomatio, Milan (1496): Choir and musical cherubs, marginal decoration, vellum, Franchinus Gaffurius (1451-1522) Dresden: Königliche Bibliothek; Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia: Bryn Mawr College Library. Ref. Exhibition, Library of Congress, Washington: Dresden, Treasures of Saxon State Library (2002); Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections, Exhibition: Books, Printers, and the Information Revolution in Early Modern Europe 1450-1600 (2001). At the bottom of the page two choirs of children sing. The children on the left read from a raised lectern. Those on the right read from individual books. On the right-hand margin an angel holds a shawm in one hand and a gittern in the other; beneath him, three putti play harp, lute and rebec; beneath them, two putti play flared-bell pipes which may represent recorders; beneath them, three putti play tambourine, nakers and tabor. Second and fourth editions were published in Brescia in 1497 and 1508, respectively.
Sacrifice to Priapus, from Francesco Colonna, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili published by Aldus Manutius, Venice (1499), woodcut, Italian. Ref. Winternitz (1979: 51, footnote 5); Art Bulletin 73 (1991: 242); Blunt (1995: 143, fig. 134); Rasmussen (1999c); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers comm., 2002). "Two ladies blow end-blown woodwinds (presumably recorders) of unequal sizes, and another holds a tambourine (vaguely depicted). A youth blows a straight trumpet" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) "Three ladies accompany the cultic scene with wind instruments, two recorders and one piffero" (Winternitz loc. cit.) "A lot of people, mainly women, attend the sacrifice with instruments such as trumpet and tambourine. One of the 'recorders' is a cylindrical soprano-sized pipe with no identifying details (one wouldn't expect them in so small a depiction and in this medium). All fingers of both hands are down, and the wrist position suggests the recorder. This woman stands at the lower right of the crowd. At the bottom left a seated woman plays a much longer pipe (at least tenor size), holding it almost vertically. Again, both hands and fingers are in playing position, left hand uppermost and the right hand stretched out to reach the lower finger-holes. She plays slightly from the right of the mouth but with relaxed lips and cheeks. Winternitz's 'piffaro' is very clearly a transverse flute" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Coronation of the Virgin (early 15th century), Italian. Milan: Commi-Bassi Collection. Ref. Brown (1988: #658 - b&w). Centre panel of a triptych, typically Sienese in style. Four angels fly at top of central gable, "playing portative organ, recorder, lute and fiddle" (Brown, loc. cit.) The detail in this, the only reproduction, is too small to pick out even with a magnifying glass.
Assumption of the Virgin (ca 1400), Italian (Sienese). Berlin: Gemäldegalerie, Cat. 1089. Ref. Rowland-Jones (2006b: 32-3, fig. 5 - b&w). The Virgin ascends into heaven on a cloud surrounded by angel musicians singing and playing pipe and tablor, nakers, lute, double pipes, fiddle, organetto, shawm and a conical pipe. Of the latter, no window/labium is shown, but it is almost certainly a duct-flute by comparison with the other angel's double flute. The left hand does not quite reach to three holes, with two more (clearer) holes both above and below these three. Below these seven, the right-hand thumb and three right-hand fingers are visible, below which are a further two holes, making ten in all. Had the painter seen and been puzzled by the ?new multi-holed recorder (cf. Tarragona and Bourges examples)? The detailing of the instruments is more precise than in the Munich and Siena panels.

There are striking similarities between this painting, another anonymous Sienese Assumption at Munich (ca 1340) and the Master of the Ovile Madonna's Assumption at Siena (ca 1365). Sixty years seems a long life for such a restrictive formula, especially in the lively artistic climate of 14th-century Siena. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
The Virgin with Angels (15th century), 200 × 250 cm, Italian (Emilia). Avignon: Musée du Petit Palais, Inv. RF2066. Ref. Laclotte & Mognetti (1977: pl. 245); Amanda Spooner (pers. comm., 2002). The Virgin is surrounded by a heavenly host playing musical instruments including trumpets, rebec, lutes, tambourine, harp and a number of pipes. On her left two angels play long pipes with fontanelles and flared bells with thick walls, with just the hint of a window/labium and thus possibly tenor recorders rather than shawms. On her right (near her shoulder), two angels play what are clearly cylindrical duct-flutes (probably recorders), the window/labium of each clearly visible. At her feet stand two angels playing fiddle and organetto.
[Untitled] (15th century), intarsia, Italian. Rome: Vatican, doors in the Stanza della Segnatum. Ref. Winternitz (1979: 119, pl. 49b - b&w); Wiese (1988: fig. 66-b&w); Archiv Moeck. Shows three duct-flutes and a harp on one panel. Identified by Winternitz as 'recorders', but there are only three finger-holes on the smallest, and only four on the larger instrument.
Virgin and Child (15th century), illumination, Italian. London: British Museum, Ms. 27,698, f. 105v. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). The Virgin and Child enthroned are entertained by a host of angel musicians playing triangle, pipe and tabor, organetto, harp, lute, tromba marina, psaltery, nakers, and three flared-bell recorders (on all three the windway/labium is visible).
Annunciation (15th century), Italian (Umbrian-Tuscan style). Sansepolcro: Church of Santa Chiara. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). Mary enthroned is surrounded by musical angels singing and playing cymbals, fiddle, lute, straight trumpets and a long cylindrical pipe, possibly a recorder.
Angels Making Music, tempera on panel (15th century), Italian (Tuscan). Location unknown: Auctioned by Sotheby's, 11 December 1996 (sold). Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) Angel musicians sing and play organetto, psalteries, fiddle, shawms, mandora, and two slender cylindrical duct-flutes. The latter are featureless apart from a more or less clear representation of the window/labium of each. In each case the foot is hidden behind the halo of the angel in front, but the hand and finger positions are suggestive of recorder playing with all four fingers of the lowermost hand seemingly covering their holes.
St John the Baptist and Landscape (? late 15th century), Italian. Venice: Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). In the background, centre left, a shepherd sits with his sheep, playing a slender alto-sized pipe with some bell flare, right-hand lowermost.
Untitled, from a volume of Suetonius Tranquillus (late 15th-century), engraving, Italian. Ref. Confalonieri, in Fabbri (?date, 1: 160); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Five musicians (one a king wearing a crown) seated on rather elaborate stools sing play lute, oval guitar and a pipe, very probably a recorder since all fingers of the lower (right) hand are covering their finger-holes.
Figure with Flute (15th century), painting, Italian (Ferrarese). Ref. Halápy (1973: 246); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). Budapest: Szépmüvészeti Múzeum. One of a pendant pair with Figure with Harp. The flautist, a woman, is almost certainly playing cylindrical, alto recorder – the general position is perfect, left-hand lowermost.

Netherlandish

Job at the Dung Heap (late 15th century), Netherlandish. Italy: Private Collection (1949). Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). One of two friends holds a soprano/alto recorder with the beak inverted but close to his lips. There may be a window/labium, but this is not clear. Both hands are on the instrument, the right lowermost including the little finger. No finger-holes are visible. The instrument is cylindrical but with a flared foot.
Book of Hours (late 15th century), illumination 10 × 14 cm, Northern Netherlandish. Detail. Claremont (California): Honnold/Mudd Library, Special Collections. Ref. Website: Accent on Images: The Language of Illustrated Books (2005 - col.) Marginal ornament at foot of page. A figure on the left of an abstract ornament plays a long cylindrical pipe (in green) with a very slightly flared bell. No details are visible, but this could represent a recorder.
Nativity (15th century), carved wood, Netherlandish. Den Bosch: Kathedrale Basilek van St. Jan te 's-Hertogenbosch. Ref. Postcard, Ernst van Mackelenbergh, Rosmalen (s. dat.) Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2004). One of six small scenes carved in wood depicting the birth and childhood of Christ, beneath an altarpiece depicting The Passion. Standing behind a wall at the right of the central scene is a shepherd who holds close to his lips an alto-sized pipe which is outwardly conical overall. Although he has both hands fully on, rather apart and left-hand uppermost, the artist shows three finger-holes above the upper hand, three between the hands, and two below of which the lowest is quite close to the bell end. The uppermost hole is very close to the top end of the pipe. As shephrds are hardly ever shown with shawms at the Nativity this is very possibly a recorder.
Ivory casket, 5.5 × 15 cm, North Italian. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum, Inv. B 129. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, DÜk - 123). The upper side of the lid depict a fenced tree and peacock, on each side are two women and two men. One of the men plays a recorder or shawm. Not seen.

Polish

Musikanten und Komödianten, Wandmalerei (1418), Polish. Lublin: Dreifaltigkeitskirche. Ref. Barach (1957: fig. 4). Watched by three rather dour-looking townsfolk, two musicians accompany acrobats. One of the acrobats stands on his head; the other seems to be jumping up and down on his knees. One of the musicians, a bearded man, plays a small drum with two sticks; the other, clean shaven, plays a long conical pipe with five finger-holes visible but others covered by his fingers. No beak or window/labium is visible, but the wind instrument may represent a recorder, though a shawm might be more likely.

Scottish

Angel-Musician Playing a Pipe (1446), stone carving, Scottish. Rosslyn: Rosslyn Chapel. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). An angel-musician plays a short steeply conical pipe, right hand uppermost. Although there seems to be no window/labium the thumb and finger positions are consistent with a recorder and there appears to be an open finger-hole for the little finger of the lowermost hand. There is an incised ring at the foot.

Spanish

Altarpiece of the Virgin Mary … with St Michael and St Ursula (ca 1425), 'Catalan Master', possibly studio of Borrassà. Brussels: Royal Museum of Fine Arts, No. 3750. Ref. Braggard & Hen (1967: 15, pl. 2 - col. ) The Virgin and Child, enthroned, are surrounded by angel musicians playing vielle, lute and two flared pipes. On their left, a black-winged angel plays his pipe left hand uppermost. The mouthpiece of his instrument is much damaged and the latter could be a shawm with a pirouette, but the pigment shows what could be the window of a duct-flute, and the player's cheeks are not extended. On the right, a red-winged angel plays his pipe right hand uppermost. The mouthpiece could be the staple of a shawm, with no pirouette but here, also, marks suggest the window of a duct-flute; there is the hint of paired finger-holes at the bottom, and the flare is rather slight for a shawm. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Altarpiece, The Life of the Virgin: Nativity (late 14th century - early 15th century), tempera on wood panel, Catalan. Douai: Le Musée de la Chatreuse, Iv. 2830. Ref. Catalogue of Le Musée de la Chartreuse, Douai; Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000; 2006: 17-18 & fig. 17-col.) Mary and Joseph sit either side of the crib behind which are two admiring beasts. In the background and to the left is a walled city; to the right a shepherd with his sheep. In the background centre, behind Joseph, a shepherd sits beside a table playing a cylindrical pipe, possibly a recorder. The player's right hand covers the lower finger-holes, including the outstretched little finger which seems to be struggling to reach across to a non-offset lowermost hole. The left hand is positioned to show three finger-holes, marked in contrasting black above the positioned right hand. There is some deterioration at the mouthpiece end, but it is possible that there is a window/labium partly covered with gold, either in restoration or originally. The player's lips are very relaxed, almost open showing a beaked end to the instrument. At the bell end, just below the outstretched little finger, are two incised rings close to each other, and a very slight expansion. The bore opening at the end is just visible, but gives the impression that the bore is cylindrical.

This work has been attributed to a pupil of Pere or Jaime Serra (ca 1350 or later). However, the quality of the work is decidedly inferior to that of Serra. Rather, the Annunciation to the Shepherds at the top right seems to be closely modelled on Byzantine representations, with the seated pipe-playing shepherd not noticing the angel above, and in the disposition of the sheep on the rocks. Rosa Alcoy of the Université de Barcelona comments that this fragment is certainly Catalan but with no stylistic association with the dominating late 14th-century Serra Brothers atelier. Notes (in part) by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Virgin and Angels (1439), Spanish. Madrid: Lázaro Galdeano Museum. Ref. Post (? date, 3: fig. 333); Christian Brassy (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Angel musicians entertain the Virgin and Child, including a singer accompanied by harp, lute, rebec and recorder.
Virgin and Angels (1410-1440), in the style of Ramón de Mur, part of an altarpiece from Cornellà. Barcelona: Diocesan Museum. Ref. Rowland-Jones (1997: 10, fig. 7 - b&w); Gudiol (1986: 710). Musical angels entertain the Virgin and Child, including three singers, two playing lutes, and one playing a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder).
Altarpiece (ca 1490-1500), alabaster, possibly Flemish. Detail. El Paular (near Segovia): Carthusian Monastery, Church. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Charles Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "The Monasterio de El Paular was founded in 1390 in the reign of Juan I. The church was rebuilt in the 18th century after an earthquake in 1755. The vast altarpiece illustrating the lives of the Virgin and Christ has also been attributed to the school of Juan Guás. It includes many angel musicians in different scenes. There are three pipe-playing angels depicted in the altarpiece itself: two in the bottom left-hand panel, and one in another panel at the bottom close to the centre, but only one of these seems to be a recorder.

"On the spandrel of doorway to the retro-sanctuary, on the left of the altarpiece, are two angel musicians: one with a harp; the other holding a pipe, left hand lowermost (in fact holding the instrument almost at the bell end, which is damaged). The angel's right hand is close to a circular hole which may represent the window/labium of a duct-flute, being just beneath the beaked mouthpiece. There are six finger-holes in line and equally spaced, with possibly a seventh offset hole by the angel's damaged hand, near the bell end. The instrument is of alto size and is cylindrical and fairly fat, with perhaps a very slight bell flare (but damaged here)" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Altarpiece (early 15th century), Spanish. Vic, Spain: Cathedral, Diocesan Museum. Ref. Rowland-Jones (1996). Shows a shepherd playing a duct-flute (flageolet or a recorder).
Veronica Reliquary (1496), Spanish. Gerona Cathedral: Cathedral Treasures. Ref. Cathedral of Gerona: postcard No. 50 (col.); Post (? date12, 2: 681); Rowland-Jones (1997c: 9, fig. 14a&b - b&w). The reliquary is of gilded silver in the form of a double veronica, the Madonna and Child painted on the obverse and the Salvator Mundi painted on the reverse. On the supporting frame a silver angel plays what may be a bass recorder with a bocal; another plays what may be a tenor recorder. The paintings have been attributed to the Master of Canapost.
Portal of the Apostles, (commenced 1463), stone carving, Spanish. Murcia: Cathedral. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001, 2002). "There are two recorder-playing angels among the stone carvings. Both recorders are of alto size, although the second is slightly narrower. They are cylindrical, with slight flare towards the bell end. The larger recorder has a wide bore opening. In both cases, right hand upper and all fingers down, although in the larger recorder part of hole three is visible and all of another hole below the right hand. At the bottom of this recorder, fairly close to the bell end and the player's left hand little finger, is one very clearly marked offset hole. With the smaller instrument, part of hole one shows and again there is a hole between the hands, and a little finger-hole, although it is not offset. In both cases the window/labium is very clearly shown" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Adoration of the Shepherds (? late 15th century), bas-relief, Spanish. La Fuensanta (near Murcia): Santuario de la Virgen de la Fuensanta. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "A shepherd holds a soprano sized recorder close to his mouth in playing position, with his right hand beside the upper part of instrument where four holes are shown, and with his left hand covering the instrument but with one offset (to the left) little finger-hole, near the quite strong bell flare, with wood thickening. The window/labium is clearly depicted, after the short windway" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Angel (15th century), carving, Spanish. Valladolid: San Gregorio College, containing the National Museum of Polychrome Sculpture. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "An angel plays one soprano/alto duct-flute whilst holding two others. The end of the played instrument is broken off but the window/labium is clear, although worn. The other two instruments are too damaged to identify but are of the same general size and appearance as the played instrument (played with one hand). No finger-holes show" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Stained glass (13-15th century), Spanish. León: Cathedral, West front rose window containing stained glass from the 13th to 15th centuries. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "Probably from the earlier period, an angel plays a large wind instrument which looks as though it could be about four feet long. The angel holds the instrument centrally with his left hand and presses it against his face, where all the features have worn off. The top of this instrument is slightly outwardly conical towards the mouthpiece, but a short way down the body becomes cylindrical and at that point there is a dark mark which could possibly represent at window/labium – again the staining is unclear. No finger-holes are visible, but there is one ring-mark about a third of the way down the instrument. Below the angel's hand is the very definite shape of a fontanelle, after which there is a curving expansion to a wide bell end. On the card index to this instrument in the Ministry of Culture's Centre for Music Documentation (CMD) in Madrid, it was first marked shawm, and then changed to flauta de pico" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Liber Precum et Orationum, initial for 'Exultate Deo, adjutori nostro': David with Musicians (15th century), manuscript, Spanish. Madrid: Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Library, Cód. Lat. a-III-15 f.79v. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "David plays a dulcimer with two quills. Other musicians play harp, trumpet and recorder. The recorder is held away from the mouth, showing the beak and a mark for the window/labium partly covered by the player's left hand. His right hand is also across the instrument, below which are two holes, almost side by side, the left-hand one slightly larger than the right-hand one. (This is possibly a double hole, which appears on some early wind instruments.) There are then two further holes, and possibly one hole offset to the left, but the bell end is obscured by the edge of this oval picture" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Manuscript (late 15th century), Spanish. Madrid: Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Library Lat. d-IV-13, Devo ionarium f.206 Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "This is an example of late 15th century Isabelino style. An angel with a probable duct-flute appears with others playing a small harp and a lute. The duct-flute is difficult to identify because it is in the shade behind the harpist and no holes are visible. The bell end, however, is Virdung-style" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Nativity (15th century), carved stone capital, Spanish. Gerona: Cathedral, central Nave. Ref.Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "An angel on the right of the Nativity plays a lute, and on the left angels play two recorders, both of canto/alto size. They are rather fat for their size, but each has a very clear window/labium. The right-hand one shows the unused offset little finger-hole, and there is a hole placed low down the instrument on the left hand one. Both angels have all fingers down, in good recorder-playing position, both with left hand lowermost. The instruments are cylindrical, with possibly a very slight bell end flare" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)

Swiss

Embroidered chasuble, (1390-1420), from Thun, near Berne, Switzerland. Riggisberg: Abegg-Stiftung Bern Austrellung, Inv. Nr. 153. Ref. Harrison (1964: 319-335). "An early iconographical evidence for the big-bore straight flute (the pre-baroque recorder) is its depiction, being played by a shepherd, on an embroidered chasuble dated 1390-1420" (Harrison, loc. cit: 329). This chasuble was exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London in 1963. The marked bell flare and the hole (or holes) very close to the bell end are more suggestive of a shawm than a recorder. No window/labium area is shown and the mouthpiece and position of the player's lips – and puffed cheeks – do not suggest this as a recorder. Only the lower (right-)hand little-finger position seems more recorder-like than shawm-like – it is rather low down the instrument for a shawm. Elsewhere, Harrison describes 6-holed pipes as 'recorders'. In fact, in the scene Annunciation to the Shepherds both shepherds have instruments, one playing an ambiguous pipe (recorder, shawm or bagpipe chanter), the other with a smaller similar instrument dangling from his belt (Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
The Month of May (with the Abbot Johann Stantenatt), from the Salem Breviary (1493), manuscript illumination, Swiss. Heidelberg: University Library. Ref. Rott (1933: 3, as 1493/94). "The abbot is in a little boat on a lake, serenaded by a woman (?) playing a lute and a man playing a recorder" (Rasmussen 1999b). Not seen.

Provenance unknown

[Flute Player] (ca 1485), painted wood-carving, 121.9 cm high, artist & provenance unknown. Formerly Gallerie Schaffer, present whereabouts unknown. Ref. Blumka II Gallery (? date: front cover). Depicts a young man holding up a superb representation of a recorder. The exterior of the instruments is slightly conical with a brief but distinctly flared bell end, and with no ornamentation. All finger-holes and the window/labium area are clearly shown, The player has his left hand lowermost in playing position.
From the works of Virgil: [Shepherd] (ca 1490/1495), artist & provenance unknown. F D 493, f. 10v. Ref. Boragno (1998: 14 - b&w). A man in a hood holds a long flared-bell duct-flute (? tenor recorder) in one hand. The window and a number of finger-holes are clearly visible.
[Untitled] (15th century), artist & provenance unknown. F Lm 391, f. 28. Ref. Boragno (1998: 13 - b&w). A man in a hat plays a duct-flute which is decidedly square in cross-section! A number of finger-holes are shown, but none are paired. However, from the manner in which the player's lowermost little finger is crooked it probably represents a recorder.
Two Angel Musicians (15th century), stone relief, artist & provenance unknown. Location unknown. Ref. ADEM 3: 120 (1981); Archiv Moeck. One angel plays the lute whilst the other sings, holding in one hand a tabor and in the other a small flared-bell pipe, probably a duct-flute.
A Trio of Recorder-playing Angels (?15th century), artist & provenance unknown. Location unknown. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999 - detail). A trio of angels playing cylindrical recorders of the Dordrecht kind against a background of leafy decorations.
[Nativity] (mid-15th century), French or Catalan. Location unknown. Ref. Walter Bergmann, photograph (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm., 2003). A detail, possibly from a Book of Hours. In what is evidently a depiction of the Nativity, two angels play lute and a flared-bell alto/tenor recorder. The beak, window/labium, pinched thumb of the uppermost (left) hand, and offset hole for the little finger of the lowermost hand are all clearly visible. To the left the Virgin and Child can be partially seen.

16th Century

Austrian

Hans Wagner, Kurtze, doch gegründte Beschreibung … (1568): Weddding Banquet in the Georg-Saal of the Munich Residenz for Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria and Princess Renée of Lorraine, 21 February 1568, etching, Austrian. New York: Spencer Collection, New York Public Library. Ref. Early Music 10 April (1982: front and back covers - col.); Bowles (1989: fig. 25, 25a); Holman (1955 - fig.); Rasmussen (2000-20002). In an elaborate banqueting Hall, guests surround the wedding table. Dancers are accompanied by an ensemble of pipe and tabor, string drum (?), and two woodwind instruments. In the foreground musicians play double basses, violins, lute and chamber organ. On a table behind the organ a number of instruments lie including trumpet, shawm, two flutes, and three recorders (one tenor and one alto).
Regal (ca 1580), case oak, ebony & ivory, 'SAM', Austrian. Vienna: Kunsthistoriche Museum, Inv. 636. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). This regal made by one 'SAM' for Abbot Severin Blos of the Benedictine Monastery of Landbrach in Upper Austria has a line of seven ebony and ivory inlays along 9under) the keyboard, of which the next to last on the right shows three women playing a trombone, alto cornett and a contrabass recorder. The bocal of the recorder enters at the top of the windcap (so it is not a dulcian) and there is one long column, showing no details of finger-holes or window/labium.
Entertainments of the Nobility, Austrian. Linz: Landesmuseum, Inv. G57. Ref. Villa Il Tatti ML85 S35; Salmen (1980: 50); Paolo Biordi (pers. comm., 2000). Members of the nobility desport themselves around a fountain with eating, dancing, games, courting, and singing and playing music on pairs of instruments: cornett and drum, harp, slide trumpet and kettledrums, lute and viol, and two pipes. The latter are played together by two men seated on an L-shaped bench. One of the pipes appears to be a reed instrument, but the other seems to have the windway/labium of a recorder.

Czech

[Untitled] (1529), woodcut from a Bible, Prague. Prague: National Library. Ref. Editio Simiae Ludentes, Prague (cover). Crude depiction of grotesques of men and boys playing trios of duct-flutes (or could be two duct-flutes and a shawm, but an unlikely combination). Three lower holes are visible on one of the instruments (the ?shawm).

English

Coat of Arms of the Vernon Family (ca 1500), wood panel. Bakewell (Derybsire): Haddon Hall, Parlour. Ref. Hunter (1966: 18); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2008). Unquartered shield showing the arms of the Vernon Family, two recorders forming a chevron, with mouthpieces close together, surrounded by eight small crosses of the type known in heraldry as 'crosses crosslet'.
Coat of Arms of the Vernon Family (ca 1500), wood panel. Bakewell (Derybsire): Haddon Hall, Great Chamber (above the Parlour). Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2008). Halved shield, the right side showing the arms of the Vernon family, two recorders forming a chevron, with mouthpieces close together, surrounded by eight small crosses of the type known in heraldry as 'crosses crosslet'.
Coat of Arms of the Vernon Family (? early 16th century), stained glass. Bakewell (Derybsire): Haddon Hall, Parlour, West-facing window. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2008). Quartered shield, the bottom left side showing the arms of the Vernon Family, two recorders forming a chevron, with mouthpieces close together, surrounded by eight small crosses of the type known in heraldry as 'crosses crosslet'.
Ceiling pendants (late 1520s), woodcarving, English. Hampton Court Palace: Chapel Royal. Ref. Pitkin Pictorials (1971: 5, col.); Williams (1971: 99 - b&w); Lyndon-Jones (2000: 38-39, pl. b&w). There are some 25 of these pendants glittering in a relatively small space, each with four fat-cheeked angel-musicians blowing instruments, variously trumpet- , shawm-, cornett- or recorder-like. No holes are visible in the cylindrical straight instruments and the mouth-piece end is somewhat indefinite, but this type of instrument predominates out of the 80 or so examples. The ceiling was designed (artist unknown) for Cardinal Wolsey for his 'Cardinal College' (now Christ Church) at Oxford, presumably during the late 1520s. After Wolsey's disgrace and death, Henry VIII removed a lot of material and artifacts from the unfinished college at Oxford and, in 1536, the ceiling was re-jigged and put in place in his Chapel Royal. Wolsey's sense of his own importance and magnificence, and his status as a Prelate, suggest the unclear instruments are more likely to be ceremonial cornetts rather than our 'amorous flute', but nevertheless they can (just) be regarded as possible recorders. Note by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Eglantine Table (1568), carved wood, English. Derbyshire: Hardwick Hall, High Great Chamber. Ref. Collins (1976); Michael Fleming ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). The Eglantine Table was probably made to celebrate Elizabeth ("Bess") of Hardwick's marriage to the Earl of Shrewsbury in 1568, and the marriage of her own son and daughter (by her first marriage) to the Earl's two children (a triple alliance). Its elaborate inlay is a mosaic of musical instruments, games, flowers and heraldic references. The musical instruments depicted include two viols (or possibly violins) with frets, a harp, a guitar, a lute, a cittern, two cornetts, a folded trumpet, a coiled trumpet, two shawms, a bagpipe, and a recorder. The recorder has holes for 5 fingers, the lowermost paired. The characteristic beak and window/labium are clearly depicted, and a recorder case can be seen in the top left hand corner of the drawing reproduced by Collins (1976: fig. p. 276). Eglantine is a white rose, one of the family emblems. There is one other inlaid Tudor table of this quality in existence, in the Burrell Collection, Glasgow.
Apollo and the Nine Muses (1580), carved painted and gilt oak panel, 178.18 × 121.28 &cm, ? English. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, A.12-1924. Ref. Palmer & Palmer (1980: 125 - b&w); James Yorke, V&A (pers. comm., 2006). This panel formed part of the Temple of the Muses at the Grange, Hockliffe, Bedfordshire. It is said to have come from the Manor House, Toddington, Bedfordshire, which was built in the 1570s and demolished in 1745. Apollo plays his lyre surrounded by the Muses on of whom sings whilst the others play hurdy-gurdy, triangle, ? oboe, lute, viola da mano, viola da braccio, lyre, and recorder. The foot of a shawm can be seen beside the singing muse. Pegasus flits across the background. The recorder is a perfectly depicted baroque alto, played right hand uppermost. Possibly intended as an overmantel or chimney-piece. "This carving is characteristic of English work of the 1580s and similar to the alabaster overmantel of Apollo in the Nine Muses in the library of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire. The rocky landscape and ruins in the background are similar to prints based on engravings such as Hieronymus Cock's Praecipua aliquot romanae Antiquitatis ruinarum monumenta ('Some outstanding monuments of Ancient Roman ruins'). Cock's work was published in Antwerp, Flanders (now Belgium), in 1551 and soon became widely available in England" (Victoria & Albert Museum). The recorder and oboe were probably added later, as both are of baroque design.

Flemish

Book of Hours: A Boating Party (ca 1500), illumination on vellum, 19.2 × 13.3 cm, Flemish. Cambridge: Fitzwilliam Museum, Ms 1058-1975 f5v. Ref. Fitzwilliam Museum Enterprises Ltd, Cambridge: postcards MED 7 & MEL 98 (col.); Bridgeman Art Library (2003: Image FIT 133923 - col.) Page for May. A couple stand on a bridge watching a punt carrying a party of musicans and a pair of lovers beneath. In the boat, a man plays the lute, a woman sings from a sheet of music, and a man plays an alto-sized recorder with a flared bell. The branches of new leaves decorating the boat celebrate the regeneration of spring. Cf. the very similar Boating Party by Simon Bening (1483-1561) in the Bibliothèque Royale, Brussels (see Moeck 1996: back cover), which shows a transverse flute accompanied by a lute and possibly a singer.
Scene at the foot of a page of music – the Kyrie to the Missa Mi-Mi by Johannes Ockegem (ca 1500), from a MS of masses and motets, Flemish. Rome: Vatican Library, MS Chigi C VIII 234 f3v. Ref. Bowles (1983: 135, pl. 103). Lute, recorder, rebec or fiddle, and harp are played by a fashionably dressed group of two men and two women. One of the men plays a recorder (unidentifiable by the mouthpiece shape and fingering position) left hand down which is very slightly conical at the bell end.
Book of Hours: May (ca 1500), illumination, Flemish. London: British Library, Ms Add. 24098. Ref. Bowles (1983: pl. 140 - col.); Kinsky (1930: 54); Rasmussen (1999b). "In a boat women sing and play a lute. A man plays a recorder" (Rasmussen, loc.cit.) Not seen.
Book of Hours: May (ca 1500), illumination, Flemish. New Haven: Yale University, Beinecke Library Ms, fol. 5v. Ref. Bowles (1983: pl. 110); Rasmussen (1999b, 2000). "In a boat women sing and play a lute and a man plays a recorder. There is also a proportionately tiny figure playing a pipe and tabor and a fool with a bagpipe" (Rasmussen 1999b) Not seen.
Figures in a Wood, from a volume of masses and motets (ca 1500), Flemish. Rome: BAV, Ms Chigi C VIII 234, fol. 3v. Ref. Bowles(1983: pl. 103); Rasmussen (1999b). "For the couple at the left the woman plays a lute and the man a woodwind (cornett or recorder); for the couple at the right the woman plays a harp and the man plays a rebec" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Chansonnier: Boating Party (1511), illumination, Flemish. Brussels: Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België / Bibiothèque Royale de Belgique, MS IV.90, fol. 9v. Ref. Bowles (1983: 147); Rasmussen (1999b). "In a boat women sing and play a lute. A man holds a recorder" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Assumption of the Virgin, (ca 1511), stained glass window, 7 × 4.6 m, Flemish. Mons: Collégiale Sainte-Waudru, South window 5. Ref. Web-site: Ikonographie der Renaissanceflöte (2009 - col. & b&w). Above the main panels musical angels play harp, flute, fiddle, and a cylindrical recorder the window/labium of which is clearly depicted.
Musicians in a Boat (ca 1495-1525), illumination, 23.4 × 16.9 cm, Flemish. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, M.52, folio 4, at the foot of the page. Ref. Ford (1988: #1051, fig.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "A couple, playing a lute (woman) and a transverse flute or cornett (man)" (Ford, loc. cit.) "To me, the instrument looks more like a recorder and should be compared to similar illustrations by Simon Bening. The recorder and lute are usual in boat-party representations of May, both being symbols of love and regeneration" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.) In this example, there is a lion standing in the prow of the boat; and the customary wine flask is hanging over the side to keep it cool!
Musicians in a Boat (ca 1495-1525), illumination, 23.4 × 16.9 cm, Flemish. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, M.52, folio 398v, border. Ref. Ford (1988: #1052, fig.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "A woman plays a lute, a man plays a long, narrow wind instrument. The scene appears to be a funeral procession" (Ford, loc. cit.) "The wind instrument could possibly be a recorder. If so, it provides an interesting example of an association with death. The upper part of the page illustrates the raising of Lazarus from the grave. I think the lower scene represents what went before – his funeral" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
The Court of Love (ca 1510-1520), tapestry, Flemish (Brussels). Private collection. Ref. Collection of Frederick W. Schumacher, Columbus, Ohio (1955: p. 185); Rasmussen (1999b, 2005). "In a foreground group a woman plays a dulcimer, a woman tunes a lute, and three men play recorders. In a background group a woman holds a lute and a man plays a flute" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Concert of the "Five Orders" [Musical Clerics in a Garden] (1522), Flemish. Detail. London: British Library, MS. Add. 15426 f. 86). Ref. Bowles (1983: 143, pl. 111); Thomson & Rowland-Jones (1995: 35, pl. 11b - b&w); Recorder Magazine 16(10): front cover (detail); Alamire C5 (1996); Archiv Moeck; Website: Ikonographie der Renaissanceflöte (2006 - col.) Decorated initial in a psalmbook for use the Abbey of Tongerloo, written in 1522 by Frans Weerth. Monks amuse themselves in a garden playing an ambiguous pipe which may be a flared-bell duct-flute (flageolet or recorder), accompanied by rebec, psaltery, flute and lute; a small harp lies on the ground.
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: Humanity Surprised by the Seven Deadly Sins (Tapestry of the Dance) (1519-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Brussels: Royal Museum of Art and History; formerly at the Cathedral in Palencia, Spain. Ref. Palencia Cathedral (1946: pl. 215); Thomson & Rowland Jones (1995: 39, pl. 13, detail), Rowland-Jones (1998c: 15, fig. 8 - b&w); 1999e: 7-11, fig. 8 - b&w); Rasmussen (1999b); Rowland-Jones (2000b: fig.-b&w). Pleasure-loving humanity is represented partly by a group of six musicians including two female singers, a female lutenist and three men playing large, near-cylindrical recorders accompanying some lightly clad dancers whose circle has been infiltrated by the figure of Lust. A cartoon for one of the tapestries in this series has been attribued to Jean van Roome (fl. 1509-1521).
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: Humanity Surprised by the Seven Deadly Sins (Tapestry of the Dance) (1519-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Hampton Court Palace: Great Watching Chamber. Ref. Rowland-Jones (2002, pers. comm.) Pleasure-loving humanity is represented partly by a group of six musicians including two female singers, a female lutenist and three men playing large, near-cylindrical recorders accompanying some lightly clad dancers whose circle has been infiltrated by the figure of Lust. Verses are woven beneath and the names of some of the allegorical personages are marked beside them. A cartoon for one of the tapestries in this series has been attribued to Jean van Roome (fl. 1509-1521).
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: Humanity Surprised by the Seven Deadly Sins (Tapestry of the Dance) (1519-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Saragossa: Cathedral Collection. Ref. Abbad Rios (1957: fig. 193); Mirimonde (1977: pl. 122b-detail); Arana et al. (1985), Rowland-Jones (1998c: 12, fig. 3 b&w; 14, fig. 7 - b&w; Rowland-Jones (1999e: 7-11, fig. 3 - b&w, fig. 7 - b&w); Rasmussen (1999b); Wilfried Praet (2010). Pleasure-loving humanity is represented partly by a group of six musicians including two female singers, a female lutenist and three men playing large, near-cylindrical recorders accompanying some lightly clad dancers whose circle has been infiltrated by the figure of Lust. A cartoon for one of the tapestries in this series has been attribued to Jean van Roome (fl. 1509-1521).
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: The Prodigal Son (1519-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Brussels: Royal Museum of Art and History; formerly at the Cathedral in Palencia, Spain. Ref. Rowland-Jones (1998c: 14, fig. 6 - b&w; 1999e: 7-11, fig. 6 & 10 - b&w). Musicians in the background sing and play dulcimer, lute (plucked with a quill) and duct-flute (flageolet or recorder); one of the singers holds a near-cylindrical recorder upside down. A cartoon for one of the tapestries in this series has been attribued to Jean van Roome (fl. 1509-1521).
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: The Prodigal Son (1519-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Minneapolis: Institute of Art. Ref. Slim (2002: 11, pl. 5); Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). In the background, top-right, a woman sings from a scroll of music (or she may be holding it out for the psaltery player), another woman plays a psaltery with a pair of long quills, and a man plays a duct-flute with a clear window/labium but his upper (right) hand is hidden so that no finger-holes show. Two other women are in the same group; they could be conversing, or possibly singing. One holds, in a vertical position, a beaked flute of alto size. No window/labium is visible, but six finger-holes in line can be seen clearly and a seventh could be hidden by the holding hand near the bottom of the instrument before a very slight bell-flare. A cartoon for one of the tapestries in this series has been attribued to Jean van Roome (fl. 1509-1521).
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: The Last Judgment (1519-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Brussels: Royal Museum of Art and History; formerly at the Cathedral in Palencia, Spain. Ref. Palencia Cathedral (1946: pl. 216); Recorder & Music Magazine 1(11); 342 - b&w, detail); Braggard & Hen (1967: plates III-1&2, detail); Linde (1991: cover, detail); Dinn (1974: cover, detail); Brisk, The Sacred Organ's Praise, Erasmus Muziek Producties CD WVH125 (cover, detail), Rowland-Jones (1998c: 12, figs. 4 & 5 - b&w; 15, fig. 9 - b&w; 16, fig. 10 - b&w; 1999e: 7-11, fig. 4-5 & 9 - b&w); Rasmussen (1999b). On the far right, a lady plays the organ whilst musicians gathered around her play long pipe and tabor, lute and harp. To their right, three play near-cylindrical ('wide-bore') recorders, one small and two large. Centre-stage Justice, brandishing a murderous-looking sword, pursues a musician who attempts to defend himself with a near-cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder). Another fleeing musician has dropped his duct-flute, only the head of which is visible, the beak of which is of a most peculiar construction. Elsewhere in this tapestry, two three-holed pipes are identifiable from the fingering position or the presence of a tabor. A cartoon for one of the tapestries in this series has been attribued to Jean van Roome (fl. 1509-1521).
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: The Last Judgment (1519-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Saragossa: Cathedral Collection. Ref. Abbad Rios (1957: fig. 193); Dufourcq (1965, 1: 181); Arana et al. (1985); Rowland-Jones (1998c: 11, fig. 1 - b&w; 12, fig. 2 - b&w; 1999e: 7, fig. 1 - b&w; 8, fig. 2 - b&w); Rasmussen (1999b); Wilfried Praet (2010). On the far right, a lady plays the organ whilst musicians gathered around her play long pipe and tabor, lute and harp. To their right, three play near-cylindrical ('wide-bore') recorders, one small and two large. Centre-stage Justice, brandishing a murderous-looking sword, pursues a musician who attempts to defend himself with a near-cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder). Another fleeing musician has dropped his duct-flute, only the head of which is visible, the beak of which is of a most peculiar construction. Elsewhere in this tapestry, two three-holed pipes are identifiable from the fingering position or the presence of a tabor. A cartoon for one of the tapestries in this series has been attribued to Jean van Roome (fl. 1509-1521).
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: The Last Judgment (1515-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Hampton Court Palace: Great Watching Chamber. Ref. Rowland-Jones (1998c; 1999). On the far right, a lady plays the organ whilst musicians gathered around her play long pipe and tabor, lute and harp. To their right, three play near-cylindrical ('wide-bore') recorders, one small and two large. Centre-stage Justice, brandishing a murderous-looking sword, pursues a musician who attempts to defend himself with a near-cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder). Another fleeing musician has dropped his duct-flute, only the head of which is visible, the beak of which is of a most peculiar construction. Elsewhere in this tapestry, two three-holed pipes are identifiable from the fingering position or the presence of a tabor. It is possible that a woman in the top right of this version of the tapestry is holding a recorder, though but one finger-hole shows, a feature not present in the Brussels or Saragossa versions, but see the Lamego version below. Verses are woven beneath and the names of some of the allegorical personages are marked beside them. (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
The Victory of the Virtues over the Vices: The Last Judgement (1519-1524), tapestry, woven in Brussels. Lamego (Portugal): Archbishop's Palace. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). On the far right, a lady plays the organ whilst musicians gathered around her play long pipe and tabor, lute and harp. To their right, three play near-cylindrical ('wide-bore') recorders, one small and two large. Behind the organist and to the right a man holds another recorder, though only the head shows, a feature not present in the Brussels or Saragossa versions, but see the Hampton Court version above. Centre-stage Justice, brandishing a murderous-looking sword, pursues a musician who attempts to defend himself with a near-cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder). In this version there is no sign of a recorder on the ground. The cartoon for this tapestry has been attributed to Jean van Roome (fl. 1509-1521).
Breviary of Queen Eleanor of Portugal: Boating Scene with Music, (1495-1525), illumination, Bruges. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, MS M52, fol. 398v. Ref. Antwerp (1932, 2: pl. LXV); Bowles (1983: 132-133, pl. 100); Rasmussen (1999b). At the foot of the page, an elegant couple in a boat play lute and a tapered duct-flute (? tenor recorder). The latter is not clearly depicted and the man clutches it at the bottom and middle, not fingering it seems. Not well drawn and small (Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
Title page: Willem Vorstermans, Livre plaisant et tres utile … (1529), Antwerp. Seville: Colombina Library. A man sits playing a lute; on either side of him are two giant recorders clearly copied from Virdung (1511), complete with the latter's numbering of the finger-hole; above him is a clavichord.
Friedrich von der Pfalz in Puttenumrahmnung with Coat of Arms (1535-1545), tapestry, 345 × 280 cm, Flemish. Munich: Bayerische Nationalmuseum, Inv. T 6657. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002: Mbnm - 121); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). In the centre of the tapestry is a coat of arms of Kaiser Friedrich II von der Pfalz (1482-1556), Frederick of the Palatinate. A decorative border comprises putti, some of whom play musical instruments, including viol, lute and a cylindrical duct-flute (probably a recorder). The window/labium is clearly depicted, and three finger-holes show below the uppermost (left) hand; the bell end is hidden.
Frontispiece, Des chansons reductz en tabulature de lut a deux, trois et quatre parties … Livre premier, published by Pierre Phalèse, Louvain (1547): Apollo and the Muses, woodcut, Flemish. Ref. Westen (1921: No. 24); Bessler (1931: 255); Walther Pudelko, ed. Spielstüsticke für blockflöten … Barenreiter 417 (1930: front cover); Blume (1949-, 2: 1075-1076; 10, col. 1182); Closson et al. (1950: 103); Peter (1958: 44); Il Flauto Dolce (?date, 2: 11); Komma (1963: 93); Dufourcq (1965, 1: 124); Rasmussen (2002, Lute). "A lute player crowned with a laurel wreath is sitting surrounded by a group of musicians: on his right [actually on his left] side is a female harpist and beside her a female singer, holding a sheet of music, and also a female recorder player. On the other side of the lutenist are seated ladies who are playing the viola da gamba, transverse flute, crumhorn, shawm and psaltery …" (Peter, loc. cit.) Only the top half of the 'recorder' is visible.

"Passe-partout vignette of the Louvain publisher Pierre Phalèse. A rather un-Apollonian Apollo plays a lute, surrounded by Muses singing and playing bass viol, harp, bladder pipe, crumhorn, flute, recorder and cornett" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
The Planets: Mercury (1565-1595), tapestry (silk, wool, silver & gold), 425 × 550 cm, Flemish. Munich: Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Inv. T 3851. Ref. D'Hulst (1977: 249); Munich RIdIM (2002: Mbnm - 101); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). A richly embroidered composition in which Mercury is pulled accross the sky in a chariot drawn by two cockerals. Beneath him are figures and scenes representing his atributes. The god Mercury conferred genius, and awakened knowledge of mathematics and science, and skill in the arts and music. Organ builders went about their work under his influence. Musica, a lute leaning against the wall beside her, plays an organ the bellows of which are operated by a young man wearing armour. The organ is viewed end on, and a decorated panel depicts a trophy of musical instruments including three cylindrical duct-flutes (probably recorders) and a small shawm. Across the front of the trophy is an open book; above is a shining sun.
Book of Hours of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg: Triumph of David, Flemish. Private collection (1962). Ref. Aachener Kunstblätter 24/25 (1962/63: 51); Rasmussen (1999b). "Bas-de-page. The Welcoming Women play harp, lute and woodwind (recorder)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Harpsichord decoration (1581): lid of double virginals by Hans Ruckers. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ref. Buchner (1961: pl. 211). Includes a shawm and two very narrow, flared recorders.
The Three Marys at Home (early 16th century), tapestry, Flemish. London: Duveen Bros (1933). Ref. Ackerman (1933: pl. XVIII); Rasmussen (199b). "Several musical angels, including a group playing rebec, lute, recorder and one more" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
The Court of Love (early 16th century), tapestry, Flemish. London: Sotheby's, 7 July (1961). Ref. Sotheby's: Sale Catalogue, 7 July 1961; Burlington Magazine 103 (1961: p. xlii); Rasmussen (1999b). "A man and a women sing, a woman plays a lute and a man sort of plays a recorder. There may be a background figure with another recorder. The presence of Children of Sun (the wrestlers) suggests that the musicians are Children of Venus" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Allegory of Courtly Life (early 16th century), tapestry, Flemish. London: Sotheby's, 4 December 1959. Ref. Burlington Magazine 101 (1959, December: iv); Rasmussen (1999b). "A woman plays a lute and a man plays a recorder. They both seem to read from a music book held up by another woman." (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Scenes of Country Life/La vie pastorale, tapestry, early 16th century, Flemish (Tournai). New York art market (1923). Ref. Göbel (1923-1924, I/2: no. 240); Kettering (1983: fig. 194); Rasmussen (1999a). "A hunt in the background includes two mounted figures with curved horns, one played, the other hanging from a strap. There are 'shepherds and shepherdesses' in the foreground. One of the shepherds has a small woodwind instrument (recorder or flute) at his belt" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Book of Hours: May, (early 16th century), Flemish. Geneva: Collection F. Engel-Gros (1925). Ref. Engel-Gros (1925: no. Mss enlum. 59, pl. 95); Rasmussen (1999b). "Bas-de-page. In a boat figures sing (?) and play lute and woodwind (recorder?)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Figures in a Garden (? early 16th-century), ? Flemish. Vienna: OeNB, cod. 1877. Ref. Hass (1931/1949: 121); Rasmussen (1999b). "Bas-de-page. A woman sings and another plays a harp. A man may play a recorder. There is a lute lying on the ground. It seems like a poor copy" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Adoration of the Shepherds (16th century), tapestry, Flemish (Brussels). Dresden: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen – Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister. Ref. Göbel 1923-1924, I/2: 2, no. 379); Rasmussen (2002, Bagpipe). "Includes shepherds playing a woodwind (recorder?) and a bladder pipe and holding a bagpipe" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Duck Pond, Buildings and Seated Figures, drawing, Flemish, 16th century. Chatsworth: Devonshire Collection. Ref. Mielke (1996: 225, no. A46-47, as Meister der Kleinen Landschaften); Visual Collection, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University (2002: 374.1d.B635.80[e], as ? Hans Bol); Rasmussen (2002, Lute). "Includes figures playing lute, flute, and treble recorder (?)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Landscape (? 16th century), canvas, 87 × 103 cm, Flemish. Collection C. de Winter. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). In front of a large tree, two women sit, one playing a pipe which could be recorder. In the background are pastures and stone building, probably a church.
Apollo and the Muses (16th century), oil on panel, 64 × 82 cm, Flemish. Milan: Offered for sale by Porro Art Consulting (2005). Ref. Porro Art Consulting Catalogue: Dipinti e Disegni Antichi dal XV al XIX secolo, 6 June 2005, Lot 45. On a hillside above a town, Apollo plays his fiddle surrounded by the Muses playing organetto, viol, tambourine (with jingle rings), and a pipe only the head of which is visible but which has a beak and thus probably represents a recorder. Putti and three women look on. Pegasus takes off from near the top of the hill.
Untitled (early 16th century), tapestry, Flemish. Avignon: Musée Calvet. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). The museum has several large milles-fleurs Flemish tapestries. At the far left of one a nobleman entertains two ladies with his pipe, or rather has just fnished playing as he holds it a little away from his lips with his left hand near the bottom. This clearly shows a beaked mouthpiece and window/labium. It is of tenor size but the cloth is badly worn so it is impossible to see which marks are finger-holes. By perspective or otherwise the instrument is very slightly outwardly conical. This is probably a tenor recorder.

French

[Music] (ca 1500), cartoon for a tapestry, French. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, MS fr. 24461, fol. 31r. Ref. Ripin (1977: - b&w.); Angelo Zaniol (pers. comm., 2003). A female figure (Music) stands before a town playing an almost hemispheric lute. At her feet lie an open music book, a clavichord, a harp, a drum, a triangle with jingle rings, and three cylindrical recorders with slightly flared bells. Each recorder has holes for seven fingers, that for the lowermost finger doubled; and the internal bore is very wide at the foot of each.
The Concert (ca 1500), tapestry, Pays-Bas du Sud. Paris: Musée National du Moyen-Age Thermes de Cluny. Ref. postcard MU 959 (col.); Bowles (1977: pl. 15); Sargent (1974/1976: 30 - detail, b&w). From La Vie Siegneuriale. An aristocratic man plays a tenor recorder accompanied by a damsel on a dulcimer. A reproduction of this is available from Heirloom European Tapestries (2003).
La Vie Seigneuriale: Le Bain [The Bath] (ca 1500), tapestry, 287 x 265 cm. Paris: Musée des Thermes et de l'Hôtel de Cluny. Ref. Thomson & Rowland-Jones (1995: 33, pl. 10A); Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris 1988, CL 3600; Rowland-Jones (2000b: fig.-b&w); Bridgeman Art Library (2003: - col.) Shows a flared-bell recorder accompanied by a lute and a lady apparently singing in her bath! And with good reason: she is surrounded by the sensual trappings of the good life – music, delicacies, gorgeous clothes and jewellery, beautiful gardens.
The Dance (ca 1500), tapestry, 300 × 355 cm, Pays-Bas (Tournai). Location unknown: offered for sale; formerly Wesleyan University, Ohio. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). In a garden rich with flowers, three couples dance to the music of bagpipes watched by a women and two men holding staves. One of the dancing men in the foreground has stuck through his belt a long cylindrical flared-bell pipe which has an indefinite number of finger-holes. One of the holes near the top may represent the window/labium of a duct-flute, but the mouthpiece seems to have a small reed and pirouette.
Pastimes (ca 1500), tapestry, ? France. Ref. Heirloom European Tapestries (2003 - col.) "Dating from around 1500, this 'mille-fleurs' tapestry depicts the activities of the nobility of the period" (Heirloom European Tapestries, loc. cit). Heirloom (USA) market an extensive catalogue of reproduction tapestries. However, this has the appearance of a modern pastiche rather than a copy. A man plays a cylindrical recorder accompanied by a damsel on a porcine dulcimer played with beaters. To their right a woman holds a bow and arrow in one hand and a fishing line in the other; her companion presents her with a fish.
The Dance (16th century), tapestry, France. Lot: Château de Montal. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). In a garden rich with flowers and fruit couples dance to the music of a bagpipe-player who stands on a circular mound. One of the dancing men has stuck through his belt a cylindrical pipe which may represent a duct-flute.
Heures à l'usage de Machon: May (1502), metal engraving, printed by Philippe Pigouchet for Simon Vostre, French (Paris). Paris: Bibliothéque Nationale. Ref. Revue de l'Art 22 (1973); Berthail (1986: 83, fig. 48); Paris RIdIM (1999); Card, Musica Pretiosa MPV-PK 0019, Vilsbiburg (2004). Border of a calendar depicting three couples in a garden: one promenading, a second sitting talking whilst she makes a wreath, and a third sitting with her holding a blossom and him playing a flared-bell recorder, the beak and window of which are clearly illustrated. This engraving was used earlier by Philippe Pigouchet in Heures à l'usage de Nantes, also printed for Simon Vostre (late 15th century).
Advertisement for a memoir by Gauvain Caudie (1504), French (Savoy). B Br 10984/10985, f. 3. Ref. Boragno (1998: 14 - b&w). A man in a hat and breeches holds a large flared bell recorder – the window and the paired holes for the lowermost finger are clearly visible.
Annunciation to the Shepherds (1505), French (Paris). New York: Public Library, Stuart Collection. Ref. Walter Bergmann (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 2003). Four shepherds look and point up at the Angel Gabriel. One shepherd, seated on the left, holds an alto or tenor-sized flared-bell recorder which has rather too many finger-holes, the lowermost paired.
Chateau de Chaumont Tapestry Set: Time, (1500-1510), wool & silk tapestry, 338.9 × 439.1 cm, French (Loire Valley). Cleveland: Museum of Art, 1960.176.3. Ref. Ford (1991: #143); Paris RIdIM (1999); Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001); Cleveland Museum of Art (2007). This tapestry is one of a set of four that also includes Youth, Love, and Eternity. The tapestries hung in the Chateau de Chaumont in the Loire Valley and may have been commissioned by Charles II d'Amboise (died 1511), who built much of the existing castle, presumably represented in Youth and Time. Derived from the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch's Triumphs, a work that was widely known and very popular throughout the 15th century, they reflect the idyllic but disillusioned life of the French nobility in the early 16th century. Petrarch's main theme in Triumphs was that all worldly things are impermanent, and that only eternity triumphs. In the centre of Time a young man holds flowers out to a courtly group of young people accompanied by a lutenist; behind, a fool watches, possibly symbolizing the folly in believing that youth lasts forever. In the far background is a beautiful castle, a knight, and a peasant happily fishing in a pool. But the central figure's outstretched left hand points to a very different scene in which someone threatens a crippled old man as a woman looks on, while a peasant labors before a crumbling ruin in the background).

"A man plays a lute (about 5 pegs on one side of the pegbox). Below: A boy plays a pipe and tabor" (Ford, loc. cit.) Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.) notes that the pipe looks rather like a small recorder. "Tabor pipes are generally more slender. It could be a recorder with the upper holes filled with wax. The position of the left hand and fingers is a recorder-playing one, not the common tabor-pipe position with the two lower fingers underneath." In actual fact, the "boy" is a plump man in a wig!
Chateau de Chaumont Tapestry Set: Triumph of Eternity (1500-1510), wool & silk tapestry, 328.93 cm × 392.43 cm, French. Cleveland: Museum of Art, 1960.176.1 Ref. Cleveland Museum of Art (2007). This tapestry is one of a set of four that also includes Youth, Love, and Eternity. The tapestries hung in the Chateau de Chaumont in the Loire Valley and may have been commissioned by Charles II d'Amboise (died 1511), who built much of the existing castle, presumably represented in Youth and Time. Derived from the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch's Triumphs, a work that was widely known and very popular throughout the 15th century, they reflect the idyllic but disillusioned life of the French nobility in the early 16th century. Petrarch's main theme in Triumphs was that all worldly things are impermanent, and that only eternity triumphs. The triumph of Eternity is represented by the Coronation of the Virgin. Wearing an opulent brocaded velvet shawl, the Virgin is seated in the center as two angels hold a crown over her head. She is surrounded by five angels, one of whom sings from an open music book whist the others play organ (20 pipes), harp (7 strings), lute (3 pegs), and two somewhat curvaceous conical pipes. The pipe on the left has a window/labium clearly marked, and the player's embouchures seem quite relaxed, so perhaps both these are recorders. A Latin verse in a banner states:
Nothing triumphing by due authority
Remains permanent and durable.
Nothing is permanent under the heavens,
But above, eternity triumphs.
Title Page, Jehan de Brie le bon bergier (1505-1511), woodcut, France (Paris). Ref. Berthail (1986: 39, fig. 31; 59); Anthony Rowland-Jones (2009: 220, fig. 3). A script over this print reads 'Jehan de Brie le bon bergier'. It was printed by the widow of Jean Trepperel, a Paris printer, whose wife continued the business and in 1511 became a business partner of the printer Jean Jehannot. This print illustrates the title page of an edition of Jehan de Brie's book Le Bon Bergier, first published in 1379; the conceit was that shepherds and shepherdesses had in their pastoral life built up a model of a regime of government to be commended to other rulers. Jehan therefore shows himself as a shepherd, presenting his book to Charles V. The engraver shows the characters in the garb of Charles V's time. The shepherd is identified by his recorder, signifying harmony, peace and pleasure, by his crook representing control and power, and by his loyal dog. The recorder (stuck in his belt) is an alto and has, to be sure, more than its required number of finger-holes – as many as ten. The same woodcut was used in the edition published by Simon Vostre before 1522 (see below).
Leaf from Book of Hours printed by Phillipe Pigouchet for Simon Vostre (ca 1515): Adoration of the Shepherds, coloured metal-cut, French. Private collection James Tanis. Ref. Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections, Exhibition: Books, Printers, and the Information Revolution in Early Modern Europe 1450-1600 (2001 - col.) With Joseph standing behind them, the Virgin and the Christ-child are visited by shepherds and shepherdesses. In the foreground two shepherds kneel. 'Le beau Roger', the shepherd on the right with a dog on a lead and his crook in his left hand, holds what must be a tenor recorder up to the Christ-child in his right.

By the late 15th century, much of the demand for Books of Hours was being met by printers who used woodcuts, or in this case metal-cuts, instead of hand-drawn illustrations. Among the most successful producer of books of hours was the Parisian publisher Simon Vostre [d.1522?] who issued numerous editions from the 1490s until his death. While most of Vostre's trade was in less-expensive books on paper, he also produced volumes for wealthy patrons who wanted books of hours that looked like the manuscript ones. These luxury copies might be printed on vellum and contain hand-decorated prints, such as the leaf noted here. The gold and paint on this page cover a print from the same block as that used for the (unpainted) page of the book noted below.
Book of Hours, Hore Marie virginis scd[u]m vsum Saru[m] … printed for Simon Vostre, Paris (1515): Adoration of the Shepherds, uncoloured metal-cut, French. Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia: Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections. Ref. Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections, Exhibition: Books, Printers, and the Information Revolution in Early Modern Europe 1450-1600 (2001 - col.) With Joseph standing behind them, the Virgin and the Christ-child are visited by shepherds and shepherdesses. In the foreground two shepherds kneel: the one on the right with a dog on a lead and his crook in his left hand holds a recorder up to the Christ-child in his right. See above.
[Bas-relief] (1508-1521), wood carving, French. Guincamp (N. Brittany): Église à Grâces, bell-tower door. Ref. Fasquelle (1958: 62, fig.); Zaniol (1985: 9, footnote 37). Fasquelle (loc. cit.) gives this a 14th century dating, in error.
"One of the oldest documents is the 'Ganassi' recorder clearly distinguishable in the bas-relief decorating the door of the bell tower of the church of Graçes (C.-du-N. France) dating from the thirteenth century" (Zaniol, loc. cit.)

"The figure is carved on the wood door inside the church which leads to the stairway going up to the clock tower of the church of Grâces. The whole church dates from the early 16th century; the foundation stone was laid on 12 March 1506, the roof timbers were reported as complete on 5 February 1508, and the church was completed in 1521. The style of the carving matches some figures on the roof-corbels, and the leaf-moulding found on the door is similar to that elsewhere in the church."

"Identification of this instrument is difficult because at one point the door was very thickly painted with blue paint and this has damaged the surface, particularly affecting the detail where the player's lips, which are relaxed, not tensed in any way, touch the instrument's mouthpiece. There is, however, a hole in the wood roughly opposite where the player's little-finger touches the side of the instrument, although this could be caused by wear and damage rather than representing the 'ninth-hole' of the renaissance recorder. But the probability is that this does represent a recorder rather than a shawm" (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
Typus Musices [sic.] from Margarita Philosophica (1517), print, French. Leiden: University, Library. A female personification of Music holds a manuscript surrounded by musicians singing and playing organ, harp, lute, organ, and a cylindrical pipe, probably a recorder. An old bearded man (Pythagorus) holds a pair of scales; behind him Jubal works at his forge. Gregorius Reich's Margarita Philosophica [Pearl of Knowledge] dates from 1503 and was first published in Germany. This version is based loosely on the woodcut by the Master known as 'DS' which appeared with the 1503 edition, though by no means identical to it.
Title Page, Le Bon Bergier: Jehan de Brie le bon bergier (a. 1522), woodcut, France (Paris). Paris: Bibliotheque Nationale; Location unknown: Offered for sale by Sotheby's, Paris, Books, Manuscripts (PF4006), 30 June (2004), Lot 7. Ref. Sotheby's, Paris, Archived Sales (2004). This rare edition of Jehan de Brie's Le Bon Bergier was printed by Simon Vostre, Paris. Only two copies are known. A script over the title page reads 'Jehan de Brie le bon bergier'. The conceit was that shepherds and shepherdesses had in their pastoral life built up a model of a regime of government to be commended to other rulers. Jehan therefore shows himself as a shepherd, presenting his book to Charles V. The engraver shows the characters in the garb of Charles V's time. The shepherd's alto recorder has – to be sure – more than its required number of finger-holes, up to ten. The same woodcut was used in the edition published by the widow of Jean Trepperel in 1511 (see above).
Jesse Tree (1521), fresco, French. St Seine l'Abbaye (Côte d'Or). Ref. Yves Impens (2004). This badly damaged work bears the arms of Durestal and Monspey. Amongst the musician Kings there may be a recorder player.
Geoffroy Tory: Offices of the Virgin for the use of Bourges: Annunciation to the Shepherds (1524), miniature, French. Washington DC.: Library of Congress, Rosenwald Collection. Ref. Miner (1949: pl. 221 - b&w). A prayer-book ascribed to Geoffroy Tory (ca 1480 - ca 1533), because of the fine Roman script. At the top of the miniature, within a Renaissance semi-circular arch, two small angels hold a scroll. Beneath, much larger in scale, a landscape with a fortress and church on a bluff is well-populated with sheep and shepherds. One, with a shepherdess, looks up, a bagpipe beside him; and the largest figure, a shepherd at the left with tattered clothing, points upwards. Tied to his belt is an alto-sized recorder, with fairly widely flared bell and bore. The window/labium and seven in-line finger-holes are show. (Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm., 2005).
Book of Hours (use of Paris), France (Paris?), Jehan de Luc (scribe) (1524), Hours of the Virgin: Compline: Coronation of the Virgin miniature on vellum, 8.1 × 4.6 cm, French. Made for Françoise Brinnon by her husband Jehan de Luc, Lord of Fontenay and Marilly and secretary to the French King. The Hague: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, MMW, 10 F 33, Fol. 112v: full-page miniature. Ref. Koninklijke Bibliotheek: Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts (2002). Mary and the Christ Child, enthroned, are surrounded by angels singing and playing harp, vielle, lute, ?shawms and (bottom right) a more or less cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder).
Book of Hours (use of Paris), France (Paris?), Jehan de Luc (scribe) (1524), Hours of the Virgin: Compline: Christ (represented as 'Salvator Mundi') blessing Mary after coronation in the heaven; angels playing music miniature on vellum, 8.1 × 4.6 cm, French. Made for Françoise Brinnon by her husband Jehan de Luc, Lord of Fontenay and Marilly and secretary to the French King. The Hague: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, MMW, 10 F 33, Fol. 64v: full-page miniature. Ref. Koninklijke Bibliotheek: Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts (2002). Mary kneels before Christ enthroned whilst two angels play pipes, one of which is clearly a recorder with a clearly depicted window/labium and a flared bell, the fingers of the player's lowermost (right) hand all in play.
Angel Musician (1527), stone carving, French. Dijon: Church of St Michel, South Portal, 4th rank). Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2005). The West front of the Church of St Michel has a highly decorated late flamboyant gothic style group of three portals, with many statues and many angel-musicians among them, particularly the south portal. Each portal has nine ranks within the arch. Near the point of the fourth rank of the S. portal is an angel playing a likely recorder of alto/soprano size, cylindrical, all fingers down, right hand lowermost. The French sculptor Nicolas de La Cour worked on the central tympanum Last Judgement; however, for a work of this magnitude and opulence many craftsman must have been employed.
Musical Trophy (1527) Chartres: Cathedral, Choir. Ref. André (1996: 39 ff); Website: Ikonographie der Renaissanceflöte (2009: b&w). Depicts a slender shawm crossed with a cylindrical recorder. The latter has what appears to be a window/labium, and three finger-holes are visible beneath a panel inscribed '1527' which covers the body of the instrument. There is also a second trophy of similar design depicting a shawm crossed with a transverse flute.
Title page: S'ensuyvent plusieurs basses dances tant Communes que Incommunes (ca 1530-1538), woodcut, probably published by Jacques Moderne in Lyons. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, Collection Rothschild, VI-3 bis-66. Ref. Kinsky (1930: 96); Brown & Lascelle (1972: 88-89); Early Music (1974: 45, fig.); Zaniol (1984, November: 7, footnote 13); Thomson & Rowland-Jones (1995: 17, fig. 8), Recorder & Early Music 20: 1 (1996); David Lasocki (pers. comm.); Rowland-Jones (2003: 8, fig. 3). Four men play cylindrical recorders (alto, two tenors and a direct blown basset) reading from a music book open on a bench in front of them. Their plain dress suggests that they are professional musicians.
Stained Glass (1536, restored 19th century), French. Pont-Audemer (Normandy): Church of St Ouen, Chapel 11, glass in flamboyant tracery above a window dedicated to St Honoré, Bishop of Amiens, patron of bakers and pastry cooks. Angel musicians play various instruments including a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) or shawm, probably the former (Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
Graduale (1540-1542), B-Abdij Sint-Truiden. Ref. Alamire C4 (1996). Shows a nativity scene in which a shepherd is playing a small duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) whilst the Three Kings present their gifts.
From Le grand calendier et compost des bergers, published by J. Cantarel, Lyons (1551): Cy parle le bergier et fait ung prologue …, woodcut, French. Ref. Mortimer (1964, I/1: 158, no. 126); Rasmussen (2002, Bagpipe). "Their leader holds a bagpipe and another holds a recorder" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Untitled (ca 1570), woodcut, French. Ref. Angelo Zaniol Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A well-dressed woman plays what appears to be a very slender, more or less cylindrical basset recorder with a bocal (the window/labium is not seen) and what appears to be a key and fontanelle for the lowermost finger.
From Vincenzo Cartari, Imagines deorum, Qui Ab Antiquis Colebantur: portrait of Antoine Du Verdier (1544-1600), engraving, French. Ref. Mortimer (1964: 161); Rasmussen (2002, Lute). to the left of the portrait "Minerva holds a harp, and on the base beneath her there is a trophy of viola da braccio, lute, recorder (?), music book, compass and square (emblems of the arts of sciences). Opposite is Mars, and his trophy includes an S-shaped trumpet, drum, armor and halberd" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Coronation of the Virgin (early 16th century), right-hand panel of a triptych, French. St Petersburg: Hermitage. The triptych shows (left) death, (centre) burial, and (right) coronation of the Virgin. In Coronation of the Virgin, angel musicians in two groups, one with portative organ and fiddle. The other group includes viol, two singers and large pipe (? tenor recorder) with fontanelle, played left-hand down. The latter is unlikely to be a shawm as all others are soft instruments and the mouth-piece appears beaked. Another angel in this picture appears to play a small duct-flute, but this needs closer examination of the original (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
[Untitled] (16th century), woodcarvings, France. Angers: Façade of Maison d'Adam, place Ste-Croix, casing of the window above the door. Ref. Fullerton: Walter Bergmann Collection 79; Revue Musique Bretonne 5, May (1981: photo); Matte (2001–, col.) On the right hand side of the window is a bagpiper. On the left, a man with a wide-brimmed hat plays a large wind instrument (? ca 75 cm long), left-hand down. His puffed cheeks suggest a shawm. But there is only a slight bell flare. There is no sign of finger-holes or window. There are three decorative turned rings at the mouth-piece. There could a fontanelle, but the lower hand (left) is below it! (Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.) This work has been restored and the figure on the left is a replacement (Matte, loc. cit.) Matte believes this to represent a flûte. See before and after photographs.
Angel musicians from a Jesse Tree (ca 1515), stained glass, French. Autun (Saône-et-Loire): Cathedral Saint-Lazare, side chapel, north side, tympanum above a Jesse tree. Ref. Postcard (col.): Editions Gaud 77950, Moisenah-le-Petit; Matte (2001–, col.) Angel musicians play bagpipe, lute, vielle, harp and trumpet and a long narrow, gradually flared recorder, the window/labium of which is clearly shown; others play shawm and rebec. Donated in 1515 by Canon Celse Morin.
Stained glass window (ca 1550), French. Paris:l'Eglise de Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, westernmost window of aisle on north side of church. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2005). In the flame-shaped lights of the top arched section, and close to where the arch starts at the left, an angel with blue wings plays an ambiguous pipe of alto size, cylindrical with no detailing. Left hand is uppermost and all fingers are on. The position suggests a duct-flute, possibly a recorder, especially as the other angels all play soft instruments such as lute, cittern, psaltery, fiddle and a triangle with a ring. St Entenne du Mont was built early in the 16th century to house St Genevieve's tomb. The glass is likely to have been of Paris manufacture.
Stained glass window (ca 1550), French. Paris:l'Eglise de Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, window in aisle on ? south side of church. In the flame-shaped lights of the top arched section, and close to where the arch starts at the left, an angel with blue wings plays an ambiguous pipe of alto size, cylindrical with no detailing. Left hand is uppermost and all fingers are on. The position suggests a duct-flute, possibly a recorder, especially as the other angels all play soft instruments such as harp, gittern, psaltery and cornett. St Entenne du Mont was built early in the 16th century to house St Genevieve's tomb. The glass is likely to have been of Paris manufacture.
The Triumph of Love (early 16th century), tapestry, French (? Tours). Vienna: Kunsthisorisches Museum. Ref. Palais des beaux-arts (1947: cat. 203, figs. 127 & 129); Jarry (1969: 127 - col.); van Marle (1932, 2: 124); Rasmussen (2005, Flute). From a Triumphs of Petrarch series. "Urania, playing a harp, leads the procession. Several musical instruments hang from her waist: rebec/fiddle, and two woodwinds (difficult to tell what, perhaps flute and recorder)" (Rasmussen 2005). Not seen.
The Huntsman King: The Legend of St Giles (16th century). La Pierre-qui-Vire, Yonne, France. Ref. Thomson (1978: title page). One of the tableaux on the Montiéramey Cope. Framed by dragons standing upended on their tails, the Muses play symphony (Melpomene), psaltery (Polymnia), lute (Terpischore), triangle (Urania), cymbals (Cleo), organ (Euterpe), fiddle (Erato), trumpet (Calliope), and cylindrical pipe (Thalia). The latter's instrument is possibly a recorder since there is the hint of a window.

It is usually Euterpe who plays the flute. But Thalia is sometimes shown with one (as in this example), perhaps because of her association with pastoral poetry.

This same image appears at the foot of the title page of a 1529 edition of Dante's Commedia published in Venice (see below).
Organ case (16th century), bas-relief in wood, French. Rouen: Church (?Eglise St-Maclou). Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). An angel plays an enormous wind instrument with bocal, a key for the little finger of the lowermost hand, and a fontanelle. It really does look like an F contrabass recorder.
Nativity, tapestry, French 16th century. Detail. Saumur: Église Notre Dame de Nantilly Shepherds play bagpipe and a duct-flute, the beak and window clearly depicted and the foot somewhat flared. The player of the latter seems very distracted and holds his instrument with one hand and his snood with the other. The first finger-hole is visible, and there are none below the player's hand.
Wood carving, French 16th century. Hondouville (Eure): Eglise Saint-Saturnin, Ref. Website: Iconographie de la cornamuse en France (2009). Depicts musicians with a bagpipe and a duct-flute (possibly a recorder).
Memento Mori (16-century), wood-cut, French, 16th century). ? Location. Ref. Web-site: Ikonographie der Renaissanceflöte (2009). Holding a scythe and leaning an a ball on which the word 'Mobilité' is written and to which two monkeys are chained, a skeleton lies on the bank of a river. Before him putti sing and play transverse flute, lute, a viol and a flared-bell pipe, possibly a recorder. Two putti climb a tree from which hangs a hurdy-gurdy and a fiddle. On the opposite bank is a town. A verse in a panel above reads:
Mort au mylieu de tout plaisir mondain:
Sus Boule ronde, semble tres fort dormir,
Mais son resveil est mobile et soudain.
Donc faut-ilz estre tousiours prest de mourir
Theologie (ca 1575), carved wood, France. Grand Andely: Église de Notre Dame, organ case. The organ case is elaborately decorated with carved panels depicting the Seven Liberal Arts as musicians. Musique plays a lute; Phisique plays a lye; Retorique plays a viol; Dialectique plays a horn; Geometrie plays a triangle (with rings); Theologie plays cymbals. Beside Theologie is a lute on a draped table, and on the ground are two books behind which a pipe and a duct-flute are partially hidden. Only the head of the duct-flute is visible, its beak and window/labium clearly depicted. Other figures play a long straight trumpet and a pommer. The organ was built by Nicholas Dabenet.
Dormition and Coronation of the Virgin (1546), stained glass, French. Detail. Spézet: Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Crann. Ref. Webiste: Glad, Le portail des patrimoines de Bretagne (2010-col.); Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) Below the Virgin's throne, five angels look upwards prayerfully, one playing a widely conical pipe with a window/labium just visible, and double holes for the finger of the lowermost (right) hand, so this probably represents a recorder. Above and beside the central scene, other musical angels play bowed lutes, plucked lutes, organetto and bagpipe. The Chapel of Our Lady of Crann (Cram or Cran-Huel) was built between 1535 and 1540 on the site of an earlier 13th-century chapel. It is most famous for its eight stained-glass windows which are beautifully preserved, amongst them the Dormition and Coronation of the Virgin. These windows have been repaired on numerous occasions, notably in 1741 by Rougeron, a glass painter from Quimper, and from 1914-1918 by the glass painter Paris Bonnot.
Trophy of Musical Instruments, intarsia, 8.5 × 58.5 cm, French or German. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum, Inv. 20160. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009 - DÜk 124). Viol, crummhorn, recorder, cornetto, flute, lyre, shawm, drum, trumpet, hammered dulcimer, lute, psaltery, harp, tambourine & various pipes. Not seen.

German

Standing Virgin and Child (ca 1500), oak-wood sculpture, 70.2 × 46 cm, German. Frankfurt: Museum für angewandte Kunst, Inv. 12 097. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Fmk - 90). Centerpiece of a domestic altar. The Virgin and Child in an enclosure surrounded four angels playing harp, lute, fiddle and shawm or alto recorder. Not seen.
From Publius Vergilius Maro Opera: Daphnis ego in silvestris, published by Joh. Grüninger, Strassburg (1502): Daphnis ego in silvestris, woodcut, German. Ref. Frings (1999: 178, pl. 19-b&w); Michael Fleming (pers. comm., 2007). Depicts the death of Daphnis, from the fifth of Virgil's Eclogues. Three of the shepherds mourn by his tomb. Behind them, Mopsus plays recorder, and Menalcus plays ? harp. Mopsus plays one-handed holding a second recorder (possibly Daphnis' own) in the othere hand. A coloured version of this same woodcut published in 1517 by Badius in Lyon was recently offered for sale on ebay (see below) Similar if not identical to Opera omnia innumeris pene locis ad veterum Petri Bembi … et Andreae Naugerii … castigata, published by Giunta, Venice (1552) which seems to have used the same woodblocks.
[Title unknown] (1503), German (Nuremberg School). Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Print Collection 5576. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999 - Ngnm 531). In each corner are one of the four elements – Mercury, and Diana (Luna) are associated with water, hunting, shooting and fishing. In the bottom right hand corner, Mercury is playing a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) of which the window/labium is clear, with three fingers down, then two holes showing. The bell is slightly flared and turned. Mercury's left hand is needed to hold his caduceus. He has in his belt a curious instrument resembling a tenor cornett. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Typus Musices (sic.), from Gregory Reisch Margarita Philosophica (1504, Strassburg), woodcut, German. A personification of Music is surrounded by players of harp, lute, organ and recorder who are being conducted by a man with a long stick. The recorder is cylindrical and played left-hand down (including the little-finger). To the right, a man holds a pair of scales. In the background Jubal works at his forge. A rather different illustration of Typus Musice (sic.) by the Master known as "DS" appeared in the original (Strassburg, 1504), and a number of subsequent editions.
From Melopoeae sive Harmoniae tetracenticae super xxii genera carminum by Petrus Tritonius, published by Erhart öglin, Augsburg (1507), German. Ref. Fraenkel (1968: pl. 2). Melopoeae is the first-known mensural music book printed in Germany with movable type. The Austrian composer Tritonius (real name Peter Treibenreif or Traybenreiff), in association with the Viennese humanist Conrad Celtes, produced these simple note-for-note polyphonic settings of Horatian odes that respect the original Latin metres. This plate is one of a number of leaves inserted into the musical portion of the book. Apollo plays his fiddle to entertain an assembly of divinities on Mount Parnassus, amongst them Pegasus, Bacchus, and Silenus. Two bands of minstrels provide backing to Apollo's fiddling. On the right (in front of the temple of Diana from which Acteon is emerging) a quartet of satyrs play bagpipes, shawm, bladder pipe and curved trumpet. On the left (in front of the temple of Mercury) the Muses sing and play harp, straight trumpet (or shawm), psaltery, ?cymbals, lute, sackbut, organetto and a cylindrical pipe (possibly a duct-flute). The latter is probably played by Euterpe. Rabbits frolic in the foreground.
Coronation of the Virgin (ca 1510), German (Lübeck School). Hanover: Niedersächsisce Landesgalerie, 166. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999: HAnl - 64). The Virgin is crowned to music performed by musicians playing two lutes, straight trumpet, ? shawm, mute cornett and duct-flute (flageolet or recorder).
Wing of an altarpiece: Job on the Dung Heap (ca 1510), German (Lower Saxony). Hanover: Niedersächsische Landesgalerie, Inv. 247 (WM XXIII, 17 ex Riestedt, Kreis ülzen, Kirche). Ref. Provinzial-Museum zu Hannover (1930: no. 196, p. 154); Gmelin (1974: cat. no. 40, p. 196); Rasmussen (1999b); Munich RIdIM (1999 HAnl - 64). Job (a leper) is is nursed by a man in an exotic hair-net and elaborately embroidered cloak and a man in livery with a huge sword playing a flared (conical) recorder the window/labium and finger-holes of which are clearly shown. The striped costume of the musician is associated with professional livery. A third man holding what appears to be a plate of some kind, looks on, though he seems to be part of the medical team. Job is holding out a coin: presumably he has neglected to pay his medical insurance!

“Further information is given in Reinhold Hammerstein's article 'Hiob' in the new edition of MGG; there is also an article in the New Grove” (Armin Brinzing, pers. comm.)
Natura fovet quae necessitas urget (1501-1515), bronze plaquette, 17.3 cm diameter, German. Berlin: Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz [State Museum of Prussian Art], 20/61. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999 - Bsg 132). Silenus and a nymph face each other; she holds her breast with her left hand and a mace of some kind in her right; he points upwards with his left hand. Beneath them, a bust of Bachus presides over the inscription. Between them is a trophy comprising a syrinx and two crossed recorders. There are copies of this work in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and in New York.
Frontispiece, Arnolt Schlick Tabulaturen etlicher lobgesang und lidlein uff die orgeln un lauten: Allegorical Figure of Music, published by Peter Schöffer (1512), woodcut, German. Leipzig: State Music Library. Ref. Dufourcq (1965, I: 186, fig.); Wiese (1988: fig. 51a); Archiv Moeck; Rasmussen (1999b). Seated on a swan, the personification of Music plays a cylindrical recorder with a distinctive beaded foot-piece strongly reminiscent of the 'Dordrecht' recorder, the beak and foot of which have turned tenons for just such additions. At her feet lie a rebec, harp, lute, and organett. This bears considerable resemblance to drawings of Musica after Baldini (1465, 1470), and Capella (1532).
Altarpiece, right wing: Mercury (1510-1517), painted panel, German. Danzig: Marienkirche. Ref. Drost. (1963: fig. 21, after p. 81); Rasmussen (1999a). "The central panel is a carved wood Coronation of the Virgin. Mercury has a curved horn. The planet Mercury is associated with the birth of Christ" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Drost (loc. cit.) suggests that the horn is a poor copy of the recorder in Burgkmair's Planet series (ca 1520). But Rasmuusen notes another depiction of Mecury with a horn by Burgkmair.
From Publius Vergilius Maro Opera, published by Badius and printed by J. Sacon & Sacon for C. Hochperg, Lyon (1517): Daphnis ego in silvestris, hand-coloured woodcut, leaf 28.8 × 18.8 cm, image 11.9 × 14.6 cm, German. Detail. Leipzig: Antiquariat Neumann Walter, auctioned on ebay August 2007. Ref. Michael Fleming (pers. comm., 2007) . Depicts the death of Daphnis, from the fifth of Virgil's Eclogues. Three men mourn by his tomb. Behind them, a shepherd plays recorder, and Menalcus plays ? harp. The recorder player holds a second recorder (possibly Daphnis' own) in one hand. An uncoloured version of this same woodcut appeared in an edition published in 1502 by Grüninger in Strassburg (see above).
From Publius Vergilius Maro Opera, published by Badius and printed by J. Sacon & Sacon for C. Hochperg, Lyon (1517): An Argument Between Corydon and Thyrsis, hand-coloured woodcut, leaf 28.8 × 18.8 cm, image 11.9 × 14.6 cm, German. Detail. Leipzig: Antiquariat Neumann Walter, auctioned on ebay August 2007. Ref. Michael Fleming (pers. comm., 2007). An illustration to accompany the seventh of Virgils Eclogues concerning the singing contest between Corydon (a goatherd) and Thyrsis (a shepherd), presided over by Daphnis who sits against the trunck of a holly tree. Here, Corydon is depicted holding a flared-bell recorder and Daphnis with a bagpipe. Daphnis sits before them apparently conducting with his staff. Sheep and goats graze about them, and a bees fly to and fro from their hives on a rack to the side. A village can be seen on a hill in the background. In the story, Meliboeus is called in to judge the bout from which Corydon emerges the winner. An uncoloured version of this same woodcut appeared in an edition published in 1502 by Grüninger in Strassburg (see above).
From Publius Vergilius Maro Opera, published by Badius and printed by J. Sacon & Sacon for C. Hochperg, Lyon (1517): Damon and Alphesiboeus, hand-coloured woodcut, leaf 28.8 × 18.8 cm, image 11.9 × 14.6 cm, German. Detail. Leipzig: Antiquariat Neumann Walter, auctioned on ebay August 2007. Ref. Michael Fleming (pers. comm., 2007) . An illustration to accompany the eighth of Virgil's Eclogues concerning the shepherds Damon and Alphesiboeus who sing of their rival love for their companion Daphnis who has deserted them for the pleasures of town. Here, surrounded by their sheep, Damon sings whilst Alphesiboeus pipes on his flared-bell recorder. In the distance is a town, before which stand Daphnis and a woman. An uncoloured version of this same woodcut appeared in and edition published in 1502 by Grüninger in Strassburg (see above).
Matthew Swarz's Prayer Book, f. 35r: Man with a Recorder (ca 1520), German. Berlin: Kuperfestichkabinett (West), Print Collection HS. 78 B. 10. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Bkk - 744). A bearded man in a cape, and elaborate feathered cap with a chain around his neck and a sword in his belt, plays an alto-sized recorder with a flared bell. The fingers of his upper (right) hand are not covering their holes, but those of the lower (left) hand are covered, including the little finger, so this probably represents a recorder.
Musical Group with a Dancing Bear (1520), coloured print, German. Lithographer R. Hücker; printer Aug. Kürth. Berlin: ? Gemäldegalerie. On a platform in the foreground musicians play two shawms, trumpet, bagpipe, drum, and a tenor-size conical pipe; two hold lutes, another a tromba marina. Beside them two men look on, and a woman on the left drinks as a servant ofers her more from a jug. Behind the musicians, three men and a woman encourage a bear chained to a pole to dance. The pipe is placed in the corner of the mouth and held up in the air, but it lacks a reed and is clearly different from the shawms so a recorder seems very likely. Curiously, one of the lutenists is holding the tromba marina player's bow!
Adoration of the Child (ca 1520-1530), S. German (Allgäu). Sonthofen: Friedhofskapelle SS Sebastian and Afra. Ref. ? Author (1964, VII/8: 836 - fig.); Kasper. (1969: 32 - fig. ); Rasmussen (1999b). "Little angels surrounding the Christ Child play a little fiddle or tiny viol (da gamba), harp, lute and recorder(?)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Frontispiece: Discantus, Symphoniae iucundae by Georg Rhau (1544), German. Fraenkel (1968: pl. 7). Identical to the Discantus part of Rhau's Der neuen deudtchen geistlichen lieder (1544) – see below. Includes an arrangement of musical instruments and leafy decorations. The instruments include mute cornett, a small shawm, drum, bagpipe, lute, viol, flute, harp, crumhorn and a flared-bell recorder. The latter has finger-holes for five fingers. visible including paired holes for the lowermost finger, and the beak and window/labium are clearly depicted.
Der Castalische Brunn / Delphi die Statt / Mt Parnassus [Allegory of Music] (1540), oil on canvas, 160 × 270 cm, South-west German. Basel: Historisches Museum, Inv. No. 1906.2901. Ref. Konrad et al. (1985: 141, fig. 10); Rasmussen, Hurdy Gurdy (2003-2004); Rasmussen, Lute (1999b-2004); Website: Historisches Museum Basel (2007 - col.) A large sized painting, originally owned by the Basle physician Felix Platter (1536-1674), depicting in encylopedic detail German music practice of the Renaissance. In the background, in the town of Delphi, Apollo and the nine Muses play harp, fiddle, viol, hurdy-gurdy and several pipes (possibly recorders). In the foreground, Bathsheba is observed bathing in the well by king David accompanied by ladies and gentleman playing lutes, viol, sackbut, psaltery, regal, organetto, and a conical pipe with all four fingers of the player's lowermost (right) hand covering their holes, so this may be a recorder rather than a cornett, though there is no sign of a window/labium.
Allegory of Music (ca 1540), South-west German. Herrliberg: Seestrasse, Landgut zur 'Schipf'. Ref. Rasmussen, Hurdy Gurdy (2003-2004). Nearly identical to the above, but with the addition of an angel concert in the sky.
Speculum Humanae Salvationis: Heaven: Christ enthroned together with Mary, angels and the blessed (ca 1450), pen drawing, 7.9 x 7.9 cm, Frater Nycolaus (scribe), German (Cologne). The Hague: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague, MMW, 10 B 34, Fol. 42v: column min. Ref. Koninklijke Bibliotheek: Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts (2002). To the left and right of Christ enthroned angels play lute and a flared recorder. The beak and window/labium of the later are clearly depicted and all fingers of the player's lowermost (left) hand are covering their holes.
Frontispiece: Discantus, Der neuen deudtchen geistlichen lieder by Georg Rhau (1544), German. Ref. Blume (?date: 45); Il Flauto dolce 2: 11 (?date); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Identical to the Discantus part of Rhau's Symphoniae iucundae (Wittenberg, 1538) – see above. Includes an arrangement of musical instruments and leafy decorations. The instruments include mute cornett, a small shawm, drum, bagpipe, lute, viol, flute, harp, crumhorn and a flared-bell recorder. The latter has finger-holes for five fingers visible including paired holes for the lowermost finger, and the beak and window/labium are clearly depicted.
Music (1554), print, South German School. Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Ref. Weber (1975: 480.6); Munich Munich RIdIM (1999, Ngm - 212). A musical allegory with many instruments, including a recorder.
Writing cabinet (after 1550), wood, 40.8 × 204.0 × 39.9 cm, South German (Tirol). Hamburg: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Inv. 1970.121. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Hmkg - 86). Fully inlaid box with doors and drawers and fold-out writing surface decorated with trophies of musical instruments, including drums, transverse flutes (including a case), recorders, fiddles, shawm, bagpipes, cornetto and timpani. Not seen.
Casket (ca 1560), wood with intarsia decoration, 15 × 25 × 15 cm, ? German. Freiburg: Städtisches Augustinermuseum, Inv. 1551. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, FRa - 82). The inside of the lid is decorated with a trophy of musical instruments, including lute, drum, crumhorn, fiddle, bagpipes, small kettle drums, shawm and soprano and alto recorders. Not seen.
Recorder Player and Lutenist (1559), woodcut, German (Leipzig). Ref. Card: MPV-PK (X)17, Musica Pretiosa, Vilsbiburg (?2008). A couple seated on the grass beside a crenellated bridge sing and play flared-bell recorder. Opposite them, a man seated on a stump plays lute. Between them a dog wags its tail. Valentin Schumann (ca 1480–1542) was an important publisher in Leipzig. He published, among other things, hymnals with musical notation and various editions of the Leipzig hymnal.
Title page: Tabulae Musicae … (first book), by B. Jobin & C. Barbetta (1572), Strassburg. Ref. Archiv Moeck. A lute tabulature book. The decorated margin (mirror image of the following) shows musicians playing many instruments including lyre, lute, viol, harp, guitar and a large (tenor) recorder.
From Hans Vredeman de Vries’ Panoplia (ca 1572), swag designs, German. Ref. Michael Fleming ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). A source of designs for carvers and other artists. Amongst the swags of musical instruments is a 2 foot recorder consort with four different sizes of recorders.
Cabinet (ca 1580), carved pinewood with intarsia, 70 × 70 × 50 cm, German. Cambridge: Private Collection. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). Cabinet of a type made in Augsburg (and Innsbruck) in the second half of the 16th century. The cabinet has large metal handles at each side. The front has 16 drawers in a variety of sizes, and a the centre a cupboard at the main middle level., set off by six Corinthian columns, with a rusticated round arch at the centre. All this is in intricately carved wood. The top, or lid, opens up to reveal an escritoire, again intricately carved with miniature drawers and hiding places. The centre panel of the cupboard, within the arch, has a marquetry or intarsia portrayal, against a cityscape with plants around, of a bearded fine gentleman playing a ? lute. All the drawers, except three very shallow ones, are decorated with cityscapes in intarsia in a variety of woods (no bone or ivory is used in this example).

The top, sides and back are all decorated with fine intarsia. The centre of the lid has a circular scene of a running deer, a tree in leaf, and various plants, with buildings behind. All around it is a rather confused decoration of more plants and scrollwork within which can be made out various musical instruments. The left side matches the right side so each musical instrument appears twice. They are: a case of six flutes three of which protrude showing the lowest finger-hole (enormous), a military drum with two beaters, a bagpipe with chanter and one drone, and the curved lower part of a tenor shawm, showing its large fontanelle.

The six flutes in their (? black leather) case are of unequal lengths – or at least the three visible ones are. It is not impossible that these are recorders; the one finger-hole shown is very low down the instrument. But in this medium one cannot expect organological accuracy.

Intarsia designs with musical instruments within a border of architectural volutes also appear on the top surface of a cabinet made in Innsbruck in the second half of the 16th century. This multi-drawered cabinet has resemblances with the example in Cambridge, but the intarsia makes considerable use of bone inlay so the scenes depicted (Orpheus and a veritable Noah's ark of animals) stand out more clearly (see Exhibition catalogue, Colnaghi: Objects for a 'Wunderkammer', June/July (1981: 225).
Title page, Andreas Gundelfinger, De 19 Taffel (1580), ink & watercolour on paper, German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. Cgm 923, Fol. 53 r. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Mbs - H 93). Gundelfinger was a schoolmaster and mathematician working in Nuremberg and Munich. The title page is elaborately decorated with scrollwork, grotesques, and musical instruments in two trophies. In the left-hand trophy a cornett is crossed with a shawm beneath an open book. In the right-hand trophy a side-drum is crossed with a wind-instrument case and what appears to be a recorder, the flared bell, and window/labium and beak clearly depicted.
? Minerva and the Muses (1581-1586), fresco, German. Munich: Residenz, Grotto Court, South side, East corner. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). "Unrestored and in poor condition (not very compentently painted originally). Instruments played include organ, lute, small bagpipes (musette), bass viol and a very long (ca 100 cm), cylindrical pipe with no bell flare. Euterpe, sharing music on the ground with representational notes, with the bass voil player, elegantly stretches her right arm to finger the lower notes, and the fingers of her left-hand also cover their holes but an offset little-finger-hole looks too far down the instrument for her to reach. There is no sign of a window/labium. The mouthpiece end simply touches her slightly pursed lips, the cheeks relaced. A tabor-pipe of similar length was found on the Mary Rose, but here Euterpe uses both hands and there is no sign of a drum" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Title page, Jobin & C. Barbetta Tabulae Musicae … Novae (1582), Strassburg. Ref. Blume (1949-1963, 1: 1239-1240); Archiv Moeck; Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A lute tabulature book. Decorated margin (mirror image of the preceding) shows musicians playing many instruments including lyre, lute, viol, harp, guitar and a large (tenor) recorder.
Mercury and Argus from an edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses edited by Johanns Steinman, Leipzig (1582), German. Ref. Warburg Institute, London; Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Argus sits dozily in the fork of a tree with his dog beside him. On a rock oppposite sits Mercury in his winged helmet and sandals, playing on a slightly flared pipe, possibly a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) though the window/labium is not visible. Io (as a heifer) stands warily behind Mercury, and sheep and goats can be seen in the background.
Procession in Dresden during Wedding Festivities for Balthasar Wurm and Anton von Sahlhausen, Two Noblemen at the Court of Saxony, 2 March 1584, German. New York: Spencer Collection, New York Public Library. Ref. Bowles (1989: fig. 47 - detail). Four boys play cittern, treble and tenor viols, two riding piggyback on older men playing alto-sized cylindrical duct-flutes (possibly recorders).
Virgin and Child (early 16th century), wood sculpture, S. German. Location unknown (formerly Braun Collection, Erkelenz). Ref. ? Author (1904: 63 - fig.); Rasmussen (1999b). "Angels play fiddle, harp, lute and recorder. Very similar to the [late 15th century] Virgin and Child (Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt above" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Coronation of the Virgin (early 16th century), German (Lübeck). Hanover: Niedersächsisches Landesgalerie (ex Uelzen, Stadtkirche). Ref. Gmelin (1974: cat. 27, p. 175, as ca 1515); Rasmussen (1999b). "Two groups of angels, each playing a lute and three woodwinds (perhaps recorders)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Bowed Strings (16th century), German. Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie, Inv. SAM79. Ref. Ferino-Pagden (2001: 136 - col.) A woman plays an elaborately shaped viola da braccio of almost cello size standing on a table. Beside the viola are a sheet of music and a small ?alto-sized cylindrical recorder with a slight contraction before the bell flare. No finger-holes are visible, but hte hea end, in shade, has a mark which could represent the window/labium.
Decoration (16th-century), painted relief, German. Celle: Hoppenerhaus, Postrasse, Celle 1532. Restored at various times. In one of the triangular decorations above the lintels at the front of the building, a man in a green shirt and hat playing a flared-bell pipe (possibly a recorder); he stands beside an enormous key on top of one of two monsters.
Mercury and Argus (16th century), engraving, German (Nuremberg School). Ref. Rowland-Jones (2000c: fig. 5). A very muscular-looking Argus in a loin-cloth leans wearily on his staff, his back to a tree, his dog at his feet. Mercury (in winged helmet and sandals) is seated before him, his caduceus on the ground at his feet, his sword ready at his side. In his hands Mercury holds a small markedly flared-bell recorder, the paired holes for the lowermost finger clearly visible. Behind them, Io (as a heifer) looks vacantly into the distance. Prominently in the foreground is a fleshy-leaved herb, probably meant to be the mercurialis of the Romans, possibly the garden weed and medicinal herb we know as Mercurialis annua ('Dog Wort'). This illustration bears a striking resemblence to Mercury and Argus, a carved stone relief after Artus Quellinus the Elder (1609-1668), by Hubertus Quellinus (ca 1605 - 1688) adorning the Stadhuis (Town Hall), Amsterdam, formerly Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace).
Untitled woodcut (16th century), German. Ref. Rowland-Jones (2001a: fig. 8). Mercury (his sword at his side, his caduceus in his left hand), plays a long tapering pipe in his right hand to two merchants standing in front of their sacks. Between Mercury's legs is the severed heard of Argus with its many eyes; in front of him is a cock, symbol of watchfulness. Beside the merchants a thief holds a purse in one hand and a curved knife in the other, reminding us that Mercury was not only the god of merchants but also of pickpockets.
Devil with a Recorder and a Scolding Woman (?16th century), stone carving, German. Erfurt: [Gardinen und Teppichatelier], Haus Lange Brücke 18-20. Ref. Tibia (2002, 1: cover - col.). A wild-looking woman leans out of a window waving a tankard at a devil who sits on the cornice on the corner of an old house holding a large, flared-bell recorder. Tibia (loc. cit) don't give a date for this. The building, and possibly the sculpture itself are probably 16th century, although they have been substantially restored, to judge by the sprayed stone treatment of the facade.
Altarpiece: Virgin and Child with St Anne (early 16th century), carved wood, German. Kalkar: Nicolaikirche. Detail. Ref. Pantheon 29: 469 (1971); Rasmussen (2002, Bagpipe). Mary and St Anne play with the infant Jesus. Above angels play lute, harp, bagpipe and flared recorder.
Mercury & Argus, ink on paper, 6 × 8 cm, German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. Cgm 3275, Fol. 19 r. Mercury lulls argus to sleep by playing on a recorder. Not seen. An inscription reads:

Die Kuew soll Argus han in acht
Welcher mit vilen Augen wacht.
Mercurius pfeifft also schon
Das Argus bald entschlafft darvon.

Greek

Mary kneeling in front of the Heavenly Child in the Crib (late 16th century), fresco, Greek. Mt Athos: Katholicon Dochiariou Monastery. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.; 2006: 13) Centre picture Mary kneels before the infant Jesus in his crib watched by a donkey and a cow. To the left are the Three Kings; behind are the heavenly host; and to the right are shepherds, one of whom sits cross-legged playing a tenor-sized duct-flute with what looks like a window/labium in the correct position and little or no bell flare. In the foreground, Mary washes the infant whilst another women pours water into the font. To one side Joseph sits in conversation with two shepherds. There is a striking similarity between this shepherd and a 14th-century one from the Monastry of the Peribleptos, Mystras, and another dated ca 1430 from the Monastery of the Pantanessa, also at Mystras (see above).

Italian

Virgin and Child with Saints Mary Magdalen, Julian, John the Baptist and Catherine oil on canvas, 220 × 205 cm, (early 16th century), Italian. Ref. Cosetta (1985, 1: pl. 41); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Two angels on the ground close to the Virgin's throne play lute and recorder (left hand uppermost).
Street Scene with Serenaders, from Jacob Wimpfeling, De fide concubinarum, published by Ludwig Hohenwang, Ulm (1501), woodcut, Italian. Ref. Muther (1972: pl. 101); Rasmussen (1999b). "Students (?) play a lute and three recorders. Two children sing. A woman empties a chamber pot from a window" (Rasmusen, loc. cit.) Muther (loc.cit., p. 48) notes that the composition of the woodcut is in the style of ca 1450, and that the drawing and cutting were done in Italy. Not seen.
Musicians in a Walled Garden/Serenade in The Garden of Love, from Leonardo Justiniano, Canzonette e strambotti d'amore, published by Melchior Sessa, Venice (1506), woodcut, passe-partout illustration, Italian. Venice: Library. Ref. Essling (1907-1915, III; no. 1514, p. 124); Gentili (1908: fig. 7); Rasmussen (1999b). Also appears in Strambotti nouamente da diuersi auctori che sono in preposito a ciaschuno chi e ferito d'amore, published by Marchio Sessa, Venice (undated). "Musicians play lute, harp, woodwind (recorder?) and tambourine. A woman stands outside and listens"(Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Gentili (loc. cit.) notes its appearance in several other publications and observes that it often has nothing to do with the text. Not seen.
Il liutista innamorato/The Love-Struck Lute Player, from A. Tebaldeo, Opere/Opere de Thibaldeo de Ferrara published by Manfredo de Monteferrato, Venice (1507), woodcut, Italian. Ref. Essling (1907-1950, III: no. 1220, p. 482); Gentili (1908: 197 & fig. 21); Musikgeschichte in Bildern (? date, 4: col. 1016); Musikgeschichte in Bildern (? date, 12: 554); Rasmussen (1999b). "Passe-partout illustration of a man playing a lute, perhaps with a small recorder at his waist, about to be struck with Amor's arrow … the 'recorder' is just a fold in the tunic, with dots which resemble finger-holes … Gentili [loc. cit.] … notes another appearance in Paris e Viena. Venice, per Comino de Luere, 1512.) A copy appears as the title page illustration of Serafino dell'Aquila, Opere dello elegante Poeta by Seraphino Aquillano published in Venice by Rusconi (1510). Here the 'recorder' is a bit more recorder-like, but still vague" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Two Recorder-playing Shepherds / Annunciation to the Shepherds (1507), woodcut, Italian (Venetian). Ref. Card, Musica Pretiosa, Vilsbiburg (2004). Two shepherds sit playing cylindrical pipes (possibly recorders) whilst a third lies on his back, enjoying the music. Two angels hover above them. In the foreground are sheep, grazing.
Title page: Martialis Epigrammata, by Lucantonio degli Uberti, Venice (1510), Italian. Oxford: Christ Church, Mus. 716-20, nos 21-4; London: Royal College of Music, MS 1145 ff 52-4; Cambridge: Fitzwilliam Museum, Mus. MS 734, no 32. Ref. William Lawes' Fantasia and Air arranged for recorder quintet by Ian Lawrence, Faber Music Ltd, London; Archiv Moeck; Early Music (1982, 10: 29); Rasmussen (2002, Lute). Also used as the title page of Girolamo Parabosco's I di porti, a collection of novelle in imitation of Boccaccio, published in Venice (1607). A singer is accompanied by four musicians playing lute, vihuela and a flared duct-flute (probably a recorder). The lutenist is crowned.
Madonna in Trono con il Bambino e due Angeli Musicanti (ca 1510), Scuola Emiliana?, Italian. Milan: Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Cat. 1589. Ref. Rowland-Jones (1999, pers. comm.) At the Madonna's feet are two musical angels, each on one knee. The left-hand musician plays a three-stringed rebec. The right-hand musician plays two narrow, flared-bell recorders. The window/labium of each is clear. That in right hand is played covering four holes, the three lower ones clearly visible, the lowermost seemingly offest. That in the left hand is played with all bottom four fingers covering their holes, including a definitely off-set hole for the little finger, the three uper holes clearly visible.
Title Unknown (1510-1515), fresco, Italian. Detail. Ferrara: Location unknown. Ref. Blumberg's Music Theory Cipher for Guitar and Other Stringed Instruments (2007). Musicians play vihuella da mano, and a slender pipe. Another holds what may be a shawm or trumpet. The pipe is played left-hand uppermost, all fingers of the lowermost hand are covering their holes, and the player's cheeks are not noticeably inflated, so this may represent a recorder.
Apollo and the Muses at the Spring of Parnassus, from Georgio di Rusconi Milanese Le Cose Vulgare de Missere Colantonio Carmignano, Venice (1516), woodcut passe-partout illustration, Italian. Ref. Gentili (1908: 28 & fig. 11); Della Corte & Della Corte & Parmain, in Fabbri (?date, 1); Rasmussen (loc. cit.); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). "There are only seven female figures. Apollo plays a renaissance fiddle. The Muses (?) play lute (partly visible, looks rather like an unwaisted guitar), recorder, corno torto, straight trumpet and cymbals. Gentili notes [p. 28] that this illustration was frequently used as a frontispiece" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Amongst the latter is Il Tempio d'Aurore, attributed to Galeteo del Carnetto, Venezia, Zoppino & Compagno (1524).
Figures around a Pool, frontispiece of Opera Moralissima de diversi Auttori per Georgio di Ruschoni ad instantia di Nicolo Zapino & Vicentio compagni, Venice (1516), woodcut, Italian. Ref. Gentili (1980: fig. 9); Rasmussen (2003). "Includes women with a hurdy-gurdy, a renaissance fiddle and a recorder; a man with a recorder; and a satyr with panpipes" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Apollo, the Muses and the Planets (1518), engraving from Franchinus Gafurius' De Harmonia Musicorum Instrumentorum, Milan. Ref. Catalogue 512, Maggs Bros, (1928: No. 37); Wyss (1996: 38, fig. 14); Paris RIdIM (2000). Apollo holds his vihuela in one hand and gestures towards the three Graces (Euphrosine, Thalia and Aglaia) on his right. Above him a man plays lute in the left and another plays a fiddle in the right-hand corner. Beneath him the Muses on the left and the Planets on the right are separated by a three-headed Serpent whose heads encompases the Earth which is surrounded by Air and Fire, and whose tail curls into a loop at Apollo's feet, forming a well-known emblem of eternity. Each Muse is linked to a Planet via a musical mode. The Muse Euterpe plays a cylindrical duct-flute, possibly a recorder, and is linked via the Lydian mode to Jupiter. Urania, Muse of astronomy, is paired with the sphere of the fixed stars. The same engraving appears in Practica Musica (1496) – see above.
Plate (1520), painted in blue and shiny chamois, 39 cm diameter, Italian. Location unknown. Ref. Paris RIdIM (2000). In the centre Aphrodite rides the waves on a dolphin catching the wind in a sail she holds in her hands. The margin comprises a series of trophies some of which include masks and musical instruments, including drums and pipes (mute cornetts). On the ? reverse, an armoured head is surrounded by similar trophies which include weapons as well as masks and musical instruments including lute, drum, cittern, shawm, a flared bell duct-flute (the beak, bell and several finger-holes of which are visible) and six flared-bell pipes, probably recorders.
Musical Party (ca 1520), Northern Italian. Detail. Celle: Moeck Collection. Ref. Moeck, Celle: TIBIA - Musikbilder auf Postkarten, Series 2(1), No. 11102 (col.); Tibia 1/79; Moeck Renaissance Catalogue (1980); Limberg (1992). Shows musicians with lute, hurdy gurdy and cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder). The player of the latter is actually singing; the bell end is not visible but seems too short for a recorder.
Virgin and Child Enthroned with Two Saints (ca 1520), drawing, Italian (Verona). Stockholm: Nationalmuseum. Ref. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (1917: no. 450); Siréren (1933: pl. 62); Rasmussen (1999c). "Putti on the steps of the throne play recorder and tambourine" Possibly by Giovanni Francesco Carotto (ca 1480-1555). Not seen.
Commento al Vitruvio by Cesare Cesariano, Como (1521): Ex ing_io Ctesibii factis in taberna tonsoria patris svi, woodcut, Italian. Ref. Treccani degli Alfieri (1957: 228); Rasmussen (2002, Bagpipe). "An interior, with a bagpipe (labelled 'V') on a chest beneath a window, and a recorder (labelled 'X') in the foreground (beside bellows, etc.)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) This was a profusely illustrated edition of the most famous of antique texts on architecture.
Pietro Aron as a Music Teacher, Surrounded by his Students, from Toscanello in Musica, published by Bernardino and Matteo de'Vitali, Venice (1523), woodcut, Italian. Milan: Braidouse Library; Florida: Florida State University, College of Music, Music Library SPEC ML171 .A12 1562. Ref. Abbiati in Fabbri (?date, 1: 385); Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart (? date, 1, pl. XXV); Kinsky p. 109); Early Music 5 (1977: 135); Mortimer (? date,1: 1); Rasmussen (1999b); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000); Paris RIdIM (2000). Also published in Aron's Trattato della natura … di canto figurato, Venice (1525); and in later editions of Toscanello in Musica, published in 1529, by Marchio Sessa, Venice (1539), and by D. Nicolino, Venice (1562). "Aron strikes the traditional pose of the Melancholic. On a table in the foreground there are a fiddle, a lute, a recorder, and two books" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) In fact the 'recorder' has only four finger-holes, though the window/labium is clear enough. Aron sits on a raised chair beside and beneath which stand his pupils. A frame surrounds the 1539 print comprises a number of panels, some containing flowers, some busts, others putti playing musical instruments including fiddle, lute, and tabor.
[Musical Angels], fresco (ca 1525), Italian. Aosta: Cattedrale di Notre Dame. Ref. Lagnier (1988: 35, pl. 1/c); Società Italiana di Musicologia (1988 - col.) Eight square panels all with musical angels on clouds who play triangle, waisted fiddle, and a narrow cylindrical duct-flute. The latter has quite enough finger-holes to be recorder, though the bell is lost in cloud. Three finger-holes are visible, none offset. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000)
Title page: Dante's La Commedia published by Jac. de Burgofranco (23 January 1529), Italian. Location unknown. Ref. Paris RIdIM (2000). The title details are surmounted by an ornamental arch which includes Apollo playing his lira da braccio and two putti playing trumpets, and surrounded by a frame comprising panels with portraits of famous authors of antiquity on the left of and Dante and his contemporaries on the right. At the foot of the page is a panel in which framed by dragons standing upended on their tails, the Muses play symphony (Melpomene), psaltery (Polymnia), lute (Terpischore), triangle (Urania), cymbals (Cleo), organ (Euterpe), fiddle (Erato), trumpet (Calliope), and cylindrical pipe (Thalia). The latter's instrument is possibly a recorder since there is the hint of a window.

It is usually Euterpe who plays the flute. But Thalia is sometimes shown with one (as in this example), perhaps because of her association with pastoral poetry.

The same panel as the bottom one here, one of the tableaux on the Montiéramey cope, appears as the Legend of St Giles, from the 16th-century The Huntsman King (see above).
Plate with musical and military trophies (1530-1550), majolica, 30 cm diam., Italian (Padua). Munich: Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Inv. Ker. 2425. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, Mbnm - 537); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Includes a duct-flute (pipe or recorder) and drum. Not seen.
Trophy with Musical Instruments (1540-1600), porcelain, 20.6 cm high, Italian. Stuttgart: Württenbergisches Landesmuseum, Inv. G 9,362. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2003 Slm - 213). Depicts crossed recorders and a music book with duets.
Title page: Missarum liber secundus (1544) by Morales, engraving; ALSO Missarum liber primus by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, published by Valerio & Luigi Dorico, Rome (1554), engraving. London: British Museum; Cambridge, MA: Harvard College Library, Dept. of Prints and Graphic Arts. Ref. Fraenkel (1968: pl. 18); Westen (1921: No. 12); Peter (1958: 44); Early Music (2002, August: 324). The same illustrative material is used in both these works. The central scene of this title, which represents the composer handing his work to Pope Julius III, is merely a slightly retouched in the 1568 volume, so that the accuracy of the portraits in this case is questionable. Marginal panels on either side include trophies of musical instruments. On the left are a viol, a flute and two duct-flutes (with clear beaks and window/labium, one showing two upper and four lower finger-holes (one hidden by a ribbon) the lowermost offset), a syrinx, a small shawm, a triangle (with jingle rings) and a timbrel. On the right are two viols, a lute, a psaltery, folded trumpet, harp, shawms, drum and another cylindrical duct-flute, the beak of which is clearly depicted. Panels at the bottom of the page depict Apollo and Marsyas in mortal combat playing lira da braccio and syrinx respectively; Pegasus, the winged horse; and Apollo supervising the flaying of Marsyas. The border panels are identical to those of the title page of Giovanni Animuccia's Canticum B. Mariae Virginis (Rom, 1568) – see below.
Allegorical Group (1550-1560), North Italian. Private Collection. Ref. Tibia 3[i.e. 4](1): Kunstbeilage (1979 - col., as ca 1520); Moeck Calendar (1980: April - col., as ca 1520); Tibia 6 (1-3) back cover (1981); Tibia 7 (1): back cover (1982); Rasmussen (2003-2004, Hurdy Gurdy). "A woman holds a lute (only the pegbox is visible) and points to a music book. A man (singing?) holds a recorder and glances heavenward. The other two figures gaze intently at one another. There is an unplayed hurdy-gurdy. Copy? The recorder sort of disappears into the music and the hurdy-gurdy is very badly depicted" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Mercury and Argus, from an edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses (1553), Italian (Venice). Ref. Warburg Institute, London; Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Mercury beheads Argus (who has eyes all over his body) watched by Io (as a heifer). On the ground in front of Mercury lies a flared-bell recorder, the windway, window/labium and seven finger-holes of which are clearly depicted.
Serenade Beneath a Lady's Window (before 1563), passe-partout woodcut, Italian. Ref. Mortimer (1974: no. 468, p. 649); Rasmussen (1999c). "Young men (students?) in a street play harp, lute, woodwind (recorder?) and tambourine (vaguely depicted)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Also used in Scongivrazione amorosa dvn giovane innamorato published by Zanobi Bisticci, Florence (1600) by which time the block is cut down and worn (Mortimer, loc. cit.) Mortimer suggests this may be the block recorded by Kristeller (1897: no. 83) in a 1563 Canzone a ballo composte da diversi autori. The block is probably much earlier than 1563. Not. seen.
Frontispiece: Canticum B. Mariae Virginis by Giovanni Animuccia, published by Valerio & Luigi Dorico, Rome (1568), Italian. London; British Museum; Venice: Levi Foundation, Library. Ref. Blume (1949-1963, 1: 1483-1484); Abbiati, in Fabbri (?date, 1: 430); Fraenkel (1968: pl. 19); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). In the centre beneath the title two female figures greet each other (?the two Marys) to the accompaniment of two angel-putti singing from open musical scores as they hover overhead. Marginal panels on either side include trophies of musical instruments. On the left are a viol, a flute and two duct-flutes (with clear beaks and window/labium, one showing two upper and four lower finger-holes (one hidden by a ribbon) the lowermost offset.), a syrinx, a small shawm, a triangle (with jingle rings) and a timbrel. On the right are two viols, a lute, a psaltery, folded trumpet, harp, shawms, drum and another cylindrical duct-flute, the beak of which is clearly depcited. Panels at the bottom of the page depict Apollo and Marsyas in mortal combat playing lira da braccio and syrinx respectively; Pegasus, the winged horse; and Apollo supervising the flaying of Marsyas. The border panels are identical to those of the title page of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's Missarum liber pirmus (Rome, 1554) – see above. Note that Animuccia succeeded Palestrina as music director of St Peter's from 1555 to 1571.
Charitable Works at the Hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia (ca 1570), fresco, Italian. Rome: Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia, Palazzo del Commendatore, Sala Grande. Ref. Camiz (2003: 357-358, fig. 15.2 & 15.3 - b&w). Orphan children are tended by carers, wet-nurses, and a lonely woodwind player. The latter may remind us of the Roman countryside from whence came most of the wet-nurses and the shepherds or peasants who married the hopital's orphan girls, His instrument is ambiguous but may be intended to represent a recorder. It is crudely drawn with rather more holes than fingers to cover them. Camiz mentions the shawm as a possibility, but that seems an unlikely instrument to to play to infants.
Title page: Breve et facile maniera d'essercitarsi … a far passaggi … by Giovanni Luca Conforto (1593), Italian. Venice: Levi Foundation, Library. Ref. Blume (1949-1963, 2: 1627-1628); Early Music 15(1): 47 (1987); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A border of musical instruments includes a flared-bell (? Ganassi-style) recorder with flute, lute, cornett and viol.
Concert Champêtre (1500-1520), oil on canvas 33 × 43 cm, Italian. Pavia: Musei Civici, Castello Visconteo (Pinacoteca Malaspina), Inv. 114. A small picture, not clearly painted. At the left a man lolls on his back on the ground with a slightly flared-bell tenor recorder. His left hand is correctly positioned on the bottom part of the instrument. In the centre, are two dancers. On the right are musicians: four singers (three men and a woman) all in rich clothes, and a viol played by a woman. On the ground in front of the violist lies a bagpipe, the stock and two changers of which are visible. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Virgin and Child, from Opera nova contemplativa (Biblia pauperum), published by Giovanni Andrea Vavassone, Venice (no date, early 16th century), woodcut, Italian. Ref. Essling (1907-1915, I: no. 206, p. 210); Essling (1907-1915, II: no. 933, p. 313); Rasmussen (1999b). Also appears as the Anonymous Virgin and Child on a Crescent Moon, from Breviarium ordinis Sancti Benedicti, published by Luc'Antonio Giunta (for Johann Paep), Venice (1506). "Flanked by standing angels playing a lute and a generic woodwind (probably recorder or mute cornett)" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Allegory of Music (late 15th or early 16th century), bronze relief, 11.5 × 7.1 cm, Italian (probably Venetian). Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1957.14.449. Ref. Cleaver & Eddins (1966: 273); Wilson (1983: 89, fig. 2). ?Vulcan (whose cloak is caught by the wind) fashions musical instruments from metal, wood and tortoishell. In his left hand he holds a part-made horn, n his right the bough of a tree from which hangs a tortoise shell and a number of musical instruments including cymbals, lyre, fiddle, a marine trumpet with a carved zoomorphic head, panpipes, and two crossed wind instruments. Both the latter have flared bells; one has a distinct beak shown in side profile and thus represents a duct-flute (probably a recorder); the top of the other is hidden behind the central figure's right shoulder and may represent a shawm. Bottom left is a small anvil behind which an S-shaped trumpet is heating in the flames of a forge.There may be a secondary allegory of the four elements – fire, earth, water and air to grow the tree which provides wood.
Portrait of a Man Holding a Recorder (16th century), Italian (probably Venetian). Banff: Duff House, Countess Agnes's Boudoir, West Wall (National Galleries of Scotland), NG 35. A bearded man viewed in side profile holds what looks like a cylindrical recorder only the head and upper body of which can be seen. However, this work was examined by Anthony and Christina Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2003) who concluded that the object held by the shepherd is a staff, not a musical instrument. There is no sign of a window/labium or finger-holes which would identify it as a duct-flute. The only detail which could give rise to identification of the object as a musical instrument is a slight expansion, including a colour change, at the top of the object. But this is not beak-shaped. While some recorders depicted in works of art have a truncate mouthpiece end, the shape in this picture does not really look like the beak of a recorder. It is still common with makers of walking-sticks today to form the top end as a knot in order to give a slight curve-over to fit the hand comfortably. The knot would account for the slight expansion at the head of the staff and for the colour variation. The painting should probably be renamed. This work has been attributed to a follower of Giorgione but is now thought to have nothing to do with Giorgione.
Typus Musice, from Margarita Philosophica (16th century), miniature, Italian. Location unknown. Ref. Zaniol (2003 - col.) A female personification of Music holds a manuscript surrounded by musicians singing and playing organ, harp, lute, and a flared-bell pipe, probably a recorder. An old bearded man holds a pair of scales. Gregorius Reich's Margarita Philosophica [Pearl of Knowledge] dates from 1503 and was first published in Germany. Zaniol gives the date as 15th-century, surely in error. This coloured version is clearly based on the woodcut by the Master known as 'DS' which appeared with the 1503 edition, though by no means identical to it.
Landscape with Apollo and Marsyas (mid-16th century), pen and brown ink drawing on paper, 17.9 × 23.7 cm, Italian. Rennes: Musée des Beaux Arts. Ref. Joconde Website (1999). Depicts the flaying of Marsyas beneath a tree by Apollo against the backdrop of a landscape comprising the overgrown ruins of an ancient temple with a monumental obelisk; also Marsyas' duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) and Apollo's lyre. An inscription attributes this to Titian. Not seen.
The Contest of Apollo and Marsyas (mid-16th century), bronze plaquette, central Italian. Washington D.C.: National Gallery of Art, Samuel H. Kress Collection. Ref. Wyss (196: 145, fig. 111). Apollo leans on his lyre as Marsyas plays his pipe. The latter is cylindrical and featureless, but may represent a recorder.
From Martianus Capella's 'De Nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii': Musica, Anonymous (16th century). Rome: Vatican Library. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999); Website: Iconografische Thema's: Zeven Vrije Kunsten – Manuscript Martianus Capella (2001 - col.) Music sits on a curved bench playing a flared-bell recorder of alto size. At her feet are an organetto, a small lute, harp, rebec and a conical pipe which may represent a second recorder since it has paired holes for the lowermost finger; however, the head is occluded by the lute and Music's foot. This bears considerable resemblance to drawings of Musica after Baldini (1465, 1470), and Schlick (1512). Martianus Capella (410 - 439) a Carthaginian proconsul, was much celebrated in the Middle Ages. He was the author of De Nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii in nine books of prose and verse. The first two deal with the wooing (in a wide, metaphorical sense) of Philology by Mercury, and the last seven are an allegorical encyclopaedia of the Seven Liberal Arts.
Unitled figurine (late 16th century), Italian. Faenza: Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Inv. 9996. Ref. Salmen (1976: 127, fig. 80 (b&w). Musicians play around a table two lutes, harp and a wide ambiguous wind instrument (possibly a lysarden, although there is a hint of a windway/labium). On the table lie music books and a conspicuously flared-bell recorder with a white beak. Beneath the table lies what looks like a poor representation of a cat. The pedestal comprises a small drawer and an inkwell.
Music (late 16th century), fresco, Italian. Murano, Venice: Casino, ceiling cupola. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "This was the first Venetian building specifically erected for relaxation and pleasure on the 'garden island' of Murano, facing across the water towards Venice, and where gambling took place. It became dilapidated and was used as a warehouse by the neighbouring glassworks. Three connected domed rooms have fine ceiling frescoes in the style of Veronese, dedicated to Music, Poetry and Fortuna. The Music fresco (in the process of restoration) includes the seven Muses, each with an instrument. Euterpe plays what appears to be a recorder, right hand lowermost, all fingers on. On a painted gallery beneath, three human musicians play larger instruments" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
High altar (16th century), frieze, Italian. Vicenza: Chiesa di S. Rocco. Ref. Brugnole & Cevese (1993: 38, pl. - b&w.); Paolo Biordi (2002, pers. comm.) A trophy of instruments comprising a syrinx (with 7 pipes), a flared-bell recorder crossed with a bow, and a lute crossed with a viola da braccio. The characteristic beak and window/labium of the recorder are clearly visible and there seems to be an attempt to show the lowermost finger-hole slightly offset to the other 3 that are visible. The opening of the bell flare is wide and the walls of the bell itself thin, suggesting that this represents a Ganassi-style recorder.
Madonna Enthroned (ca 1510), painting, Anonymous (Emilian School). Milan: Poldi-Pezzoli Museum. Ref. Charles Rowland-Jones (2003, pers. comm.) A boy angel kneels at the right of the predlla playing double pipes, the two pipes at right angles, both of which appear to be recorders, having at least six finger-holes each. On the left side of the predella a second boy angel plays a rebec.
Intarsia (? 16th century), Italian. Mantua: Ducal Palace, Studio of Isabella d'Este. Intarsia on a cupboard door lining the walls. Instruments depicted are a viol, two shawms, an ocarina in the shape of a bird, a guitar, a ? straight cornett, and two duct-flutes side by side. One of the latter is twice as long as the other but of equal diameter. Both instruments have four finger-holes. These would appear to represent double pipes. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
[Still-life] (? 16th century), Italian. Ref. Paolo Biordi (pers. comm., 2000). Two lutes, a guitar, a violin, a viol and a flared-bell soprano duct-flute (probably a recorder, though only six finger-holes are evident) lie scattered about a bench with a globe, some books and an open music book.
Coronation of the Virgin (16-17th century), stucco, Italian. Enna (Sicily): Cattedrale di San Nicola, dome of central apse. On the left, angels sing and play lute, tambourine, and a slender pipe which is featureless but could represent a duct-flute. On the right, angels sing and play harp and viol. The cathedral, first built in 1307, was largely destroyed by fire in 1446 and rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Music-making Company (late 16th century), oil on canvas, 145.3 × 333.5 cm, 16th century. Budapest: Museum der Schönen Kunste, Inv. 71.2. Ref. Tátrai (1991: 55); Website, The Dulcian: Dulcian Iconography (2007 - col.) Musicians sing and play organ, rackett, sordun and lysdarden. The organ is in the shape of a table on top of which lies musical scores and a flared-bell recorder of soprano/alto size.
St Cecilia (late 16th – early 17th century), crayon on paper, 23.6 × 19.5 cm, Italian. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum, Inv. FP 3940. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, DÜk - 548). Half-figure of St Cecilia, her eyes turned upwards, a sheet of music in her left hand, striking beating time with her right hand. Behind her are some organ-pipes; to the right, a violin or viol and a recorder or flute only the foot of which is visible. Not seen.

Netherlandish

Triptych: Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels in a Garden, (1500 or a little later), oil on oak, 67.7 × 45 cm, wings 67.8 & 18.8 & 67.9 × 18.7 cm, Anonymous (Netherlandish). London: National Gallery, Inv. 1085. Ref. Davies (1953, 21: pll. I, Iii, IIA-col.; VI, VI, VII – detail of the harp, IX – detail of the recorder, X – detail of the lute); Friedländer (1967-, VII: cat. no. 83, pl. 72-73); Paris RIdIM (1999 – detail); Rasmussen (1999b). Formerly thought to be by the Master of the van Morrison Triptych (15th century, Flemish). The central panel is a mystic treatment of the Marriage of Saint Catherine of a type known as 'Virgo inter Virgines'. The edifice in the background may stand for the Gateway into Heaven. Angels (singing?) play a harp and a lute. Another approaches, holding a small flared-bell recorder with a decorated bell in his right hand. Left wing: Saint John the Baptist. Centre background: Saints Agnes and Agatha. Right wing: Saint John Evangelist. The greatest stylistic influence notable is the work of Geertgen tot Sint Jans.
Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels in a Garden, (1500, or a little later), Anonymous (Netherlandish). Madrid: Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Ref. Friedländer (1967-, VII: cat. no. 83, pl. 72); Rasmussen (1999b). Formerly thought to be by the Master of the van Morrison Triptych (15th century, Flemish). Another version of the Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels in a Garden in the National Gallery (10835), London, with several more figures (Friedländer, loc. cit.) "Angels play a rebec and a lute. Another approaches, holding a recorder" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Triptych, centre panel: Nativity with Adoration of the Shepherds (ca 1500), (? oak) wood carving, South Netherlandish. Delft: Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, PDS 164. On the left a young shepherd carries in his left hand a broad- brimmed hat and a flared-bell recorder of wave profile!
The Ascension of Christ (ca 1500), carved bas-relief panels, North Netherlandish. Utrecht: Museum Catharijneconvent. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). An angel on the right carries a large cross in his right hand and arm, and in his left hand holds an alto-sized duct-flute (possibly a recorder) in his mouth. The beak and slightly conical bell with a ring at the foot are clearly depicted, but nothing else.
The Vision of St Catherine (ca 1520), Netherlandish. Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum, GM74. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Ngm - 93). St Catherine sits on the right holding a basket of some kind in her hands. Before her sit Mary and the Holy Child enthroned. Angels hover above, and to the right a group play musical instruments including organetto, lute, ? rebec, and a cylindrical duct-flute the window/labium of which is clear. Notes (in part) by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Book of Hours and Prayer Book (use of Rome), Southern Netherlands (ca 1500-1525): Hours of the Cross: Matins: Men and woman in a boat, drinking and making music, miniature on vellum, Southern Netherlandish. The Hague: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, MMW, 10 F 14, Fol. 9r: margin. Ref. Koninklijke Bibliotheek: Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts (2002). Whilst the steersman downs a quick pint from a large jar, a man in the prow of the boat plays a long, slender, cylindrical pipe accompanied by a woman on lute. Someone mostly hidden in the covered part of the boat appears to be conducting
Virgin and Child (1520-1530), Netherlandish. Schleissheim: State Art Gallery, Neu Schloss. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). Mary restrains the Christ Child as he reaches out to one of several winged putti who are entertaining him with their musical instruments. The latter include fiddle, harp. lute, flute, hurdy-gurdy, tabor, and a slender cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder).
[Holy Family] (16th century, second quarter), Netherlandish. Brussels: R. Finck Gallery (1964). Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A most curious picture. The Virgin holds the Christ Child who holds a cross mounted on what appears to be a glass ball; an angel offers them some food on a plate, and another angel plays a small rectangular fiddle; Joseph stands hat in hand at the back of the room; the houses of a village are visible through a window. On a bench occupying the foreground lies a single duct-flute with eight finger-holes in line and an expanded bell decorated with a single turned bead.
Altarpiece: The Passion of St Theodosia (ca 1545), East Netherlandish (or West German). Utrecht: Museum Catharijineconvent. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). One of many panels. A Nativity with shepherds and sheep in the background, left. One shepherd plays bagpipes, another a crudely drawn alto-sized duct-flute (possibly a recorder) held right hand lowermost.
The Prodigal Son Squandering his Fortune (early 16th century), ink on paper, 25.4 × 19.8 cm, Netherlands. Cologne: Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Inv. Z 1379. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, KNwr - 271). One of a set of 4 illustrations. In a landscape under a tree is a platform where, behind a table, a woman plays on a soprano recorder. The Prodigal Son embraces a woman. A servant is pouring wine. The remaining drawings in this set are in Berlin and Braunschweig. Not seen.

Polish

Epitaph of Krzysztof Rintfleisch: The Last Judgement (ca 1505), sculpture, Polish. Wroclaw (Breslau): Kosciéol sw. Elzbiety (St Elizabeth's Church), South wall. Ref. Ringmann, H. von (1937: ix); Poplawska (1998); Arnold den Teuling (pers. comm., 2007). One of two stone epitaphs carved by masons employed to decorate the Wroclaw City Hall. The church was destroyed by a heavy hail in 1529, suffered severe damage in WWII, and was the victim of fire in 1976. There are over 100 tombstones inside the church, making it one of the most valuable monuments of sepulchral art. On the South wall there is a 1505 epitaph with a representation of the Last Judgment dedicated to the family of Krzysztof Rintfleisch (Christoph Rintfleisch). On the left and the right side of God, the Father, conducting the Last Judgement, groups of angels stand, sing and play musical instruments, namely an alto-sized recorder, lute, harp and vielle.

Portuguese

?Title page: Repertorio dos Tempos by Valentin Fernandes (Lisbon): Adoration of the Virgin and Child by a King (1518), Portugese. Ref. Facsimile: Libros Antigos Portugueres 1489-1600, Da Biblioteca de sua Majestade Fidelissima, London (1929: pl. 116); Paris RIdIM (1999). Watched by a king enthroned, a ?prince kneels in prayer before the Virgin and Child whilst two musicians play lute and a long flared-bell duct-flute (probably a recorder), the window/labium of which is clearly visible.
Virgin and Child (16th century), wood, 126 × 87 cm, Portugese. Lisbon: National Museum of Historic Art. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). The Virgin and Child, enthroned, are entertained by a rebec-playing angel on one side and a recorder-playing angel on the left. The recorder is long and slender with a flared bell, its window/labium clearly shown.
Altarpiece: Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels (early 16th century), Portuguese. Evora: Museu Regional. Ref. Postcard: Papelaria Nazareth, Evora, 25 - b&w); Walter Bergmann ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2003). Angels hover above the Virgin and Christ-Child enthroned who are entertained by Saints and angels singing and playing musical instruments – fiddle, lute, dulcimer, organ, and a small cylindrical duct-flute (possibly a recorder). The beak and window/labium of the later are clearly depicted, but the hands seem very low down the instrument.

Slovakian (formerly Hungarian)

The Three Graces (1580), bronze, Slovakian. Košice: Slovenské technické múzeum. Ref. Web-site: Ikonographie der Renaissanceflöte (2009 - col.) From the cellar of Spic Castle, Zips. The detail shows the three Graces, with putti singing and playing transverse flute and a recorder with a flared foot.

Spanish

Altarpiece, central panel: Virgin and Child (1511), Spanish. Segovia: La Trinidad (church). Ref. Charles Rowland-Jones (2001). The Virgin and Child, enthroned, are surrounded by angel musicians singing and playing trumpet, vihuela, tromba marina, mandora and a small (soprano) pipe, probably a recorder.
Angel Musician (1567-1572), stone carved ceiling boss, Spanish. Villafranca del Cid: Iglesia de Santa Magdalena. Ref. Website: Iglesia de Santa Magdalena (2005 - col.) The ceiling bosses are carved with musical angels playing organetto, viol, lute and a well-depicted recorder. The window/labium is clearly visible, and the foot is flared and turned with a decorative bead. The church has been substantially restored in recent times.
Angel Musician(ca 1570), Spanish. Madrid: Prado, Inv. 2686. Ref. Ibañez & Gallego (1972: 88-91 - col.) One of six panels depicting angels playing triangle, harp, cymbals, timbrel, fiddle and a large, cylindrical recorder. The recorder is of tenor size, cylindrical or slightly flared.
Stone carving (early 16th century), Spanish. Palencia: Cathedral, Portada Episcopal. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "Carved in the fashionable Plateresque style of the period. A figure on a corbel which supports a larger figure of a man holds what may be a duct-flute, but neither window/labium nor finger-holes are visible. The player's lips are slightly pursed and the cheeks relaxed, although the playing end of the instrument does not seem to be beaked. The left hand has two fingers on the instrument and one tucked under. It is cylindrical except for the bottom part, where there is an incision followed by a short, flaring bell end, bringing the circumference to only slightly more than that of the body of the instrument" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Virgin with Angel Musicians (16th century), Spanish. El Burgo de Osma (Soria Province, north central Spain): Cathedral Museum. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "Angel musicians play portative organ, viola, double flute, lute, harp and flauta de pico (no more information or photograph in CMD records)" Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Musical Angel (15-16th century), carved stone arch, Spanish. Játiva (Valencia Province): Ancient Hospital, doorway facing the Cathedral. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001 & 2003). The doorway (which has had little or no restoration) is decorated with musical angels playing lute, rebec, shawms, percussion, pipe and tabor and two ambiguous pipes. One of the latter, at the top right of the doorway (beside the Virgin and Christ-Child, has suffered an amputation at the right elbow, however his instrument seems to have a window/labium and may have been intended to represent a recorder. The other, to the right of the point of the ogee arch, is playing what is surely an alto recorder, though the little-finger fracture must make things difficult. Notes from Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
La Verge de Gràcia (16th century). Barcelona: Diocesan Museum. Ref. Bulletin BLOC 11: front cover (1997, detail - b&w). Shows an angel playing a cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) with another who plays a lute.
Untitled (16th century), wood carving, Spanish. Valladolid: San Gregorio College, containing the National Museum of Polychrome Sculpture. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). “A bench end wood carving with grotesque figure leaning forward, curving over, and holding a fat pipe of soprano/alto size, clutched in both hands together. The bell end, however, is a very elegant Virdung-type design suggesting that the instrument may have been intended to be a recorder” (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Stone carving (late 16th century), Spanish. Celanova (Galicia, near the Spanish border with Portugal): Church, carving in the lower choir. Ref. Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "A putto plays a fat soprano recorder; he is seated precariously on a volute – not surprisingly his outstretched left foot has broken off. He plays left hand upper with all fingers on, including the right hand little finger in the offset position, with part of the hole showing just beneath his little finger. The instrument seems to be a soprano/alto size with two nicely turned rings rather above the bell end and is cylindrical, with a medium flare starting close to the bell end; the window/labium does not show" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Love Playing a Pipe (16th century), sculpture, white marble, Spanish. Avignon: Musée Calvet. A seemingly adolescent putto plays an alto-sized seven-holed duct-flute with a very wide bore, only slightly conically expanding, and very little bell flare. His upper right hand overs the instrument where finger-hole 4 should be, and the left hand is just supporting the bell end. Interestingly, between finger-holes 2 and 3 are two lightly moulded decorative rings and three more at the bell end, including one at the lip of the bell. the finger-holes are in-line and roughly equally sized and spaced.

Swiss

Grand calendrier et compost des bergers, Geneva (1500): Shepherds of the Annunciation, woodcut, Swiss. Ref. Bowles (1977, III/9: abb. 2); Rasmussen (2002, Bagpipe). "One holds a bagpipe, and there are two recorders on the ground. With a view of Bethlehem and the Star over it in the background" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) Rasmussen notes that the woodcut was used in the Paris and Geneva editions from 1491 on.
Grand calendrier et compost des bergers, (published Troyes, Nicolas Le Rouge, 1523): Cy parle le bergier et fait ung prologue …, woodcut, Swiss. Ref. Bowles (1977, III/9: abb. 2). A standing shepherd holds a bagpipe gestures to his companions seated on the ground, two of whom have clearly depicted recorders beside them. The beak, window/labium and finger-holes of each instrument is clearly depicted.
From Le grand calendier et compost des bergers (published Troyes, Nicolas le Rouge, 1529): Cy parle le bergier et fait ung prologue …, woodcut, French. "Their leader holds a bagpipe and there are two recorders on the ground. This woodcut based on one in the publications of Guy Marchant, Paris/Geneva, 1491-1500" (Rasmussen)
From Le grand calendier et compost des bergers (published Tryoyes, J. Lecoq, 1541): Cy parle le bergier et fait ung prologue …, woodcut, French. Ref. Mortimer (1964, I/1: 157, no. 125); Rasmussen (2002, loc. cit.) "Their leader holds a bagpipe and there are two recorders on the ground. This woodcut is based on one in the publications of Guy Marchant, Paris/Geneva, 1491-1500" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Two Saints with Apollo and the Muses, design for stained glass window, Anonymous (16th century), Basle School. Munich: Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Inv. 33192. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Mgs - 879). A typical merging of Christian and Classical elements!. Said to include a recorder, presumably held by the Muse Euterpe (Munich RIdIM).
Coat of Arms (1592), intarsia, 49.5 × 70.3 cm, Swiss. Basel: Historisches Museum Basel (Barfüsserkirche) Ref. Web-site: Ikonographie der Renaissanceflöte (2009 - col.) Inlaid on the inside of the front door of a wardrope are the coat of arms of the families Ryff and Brunner surrounded by musical instruments, including lute, harp, viol, cornetto, two transverse flutes, drum, and a flared-bell recorder. The beak, window/labium and all finger-holes of the latter are clearly depicted. There is also case for five flutes or recorders of different sizes

Provenance unknown

Pamphlet (1501), woodcut. Ref. Kinsky 1930: 97); Peter (1958: 44). "… contains a morning song. It is prefaced by a woodcut showing two boys singing, a recorder player, a lute player and a musician playing a trumpet" (Peter, loc. cit.)
[Title Unknown] (? 16th century), artist & provenance unknown. Collection René Clemencic. Ref. Clemencic (1968: 7: fig. 2). Depicts the Sirens luring ships ashore. One siren standing in the water plays a flared bell duct-flute (the window/labium of which is clearly shown).
[Title Unknown] (? 16th century), woodcut. Ref. Early Music 7(3): 359 (b&w). Two craftsman work at a bench under a tree making flared-bell recorders, one 1-piece, the other 2-piece. The off-centre hole for the lowermost finger is clearly depicted in the latter.

17th Century

Austrian

Angel Musicians (1651-1675), Austrian. Garstein: Stiftskirche. Ref. RIdIM Austria: Nr. 401 (2001); Prof. Tilman Seebas (pers. comm., 2001). Putti sing and angel musicians play lyra, lute, recorder, cello, shawms and other wind-instruments.
Title Page: Laurentius von Schnifis' Mirantisches Flötlein (1682), print. Published Musicverlag Selbling, Innsbruck. Ref. Archiv Moeck. Schnifis was an eminent late baroque preacher, lyric poet and storyteller who wrote religious works in the tradition of baroque emblematic literature and pastoral romances, influenced by popular literature. In this illustration, Christ hangs on the cross (made from an upside-down anchor) at the prow of a boat with female passenger sitting aft. In the distance a city burns. In the foreground a shepherd with his dog and sheep sits beneath a tree playing a long tapered pipe (possibly a recorder).
King Leopold of Austria's Victory over the Turks (1683-1705), drawing in brown ink, from an anonymous ?Austrian print. Uppsala: Universitetsbibliotek, Davidsson 6336 a, H 158. Ref. Paolo Biordi (pers. comm., 2000); RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowlannd-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A representation of King Leopold of Austria's victory over the Turks, probably in 1683. In the background the Austrian army fires on the fleeing Turks. In the foreground right King Leopold meets the King of Turkey (Johan Sobieski), the King of Hungary (Josephus I) and their retinues. To their left musicians around a huge round table play on double bass, spinet, violin, bagpipe and a turned baroque alto recorder. On the table before lie two lutes and their part books.

"This could be a copy by Ulrika Eleonora (1688-1741, sister of Charles XII) from a series of prints in a History of Sweden (now lost) as part of her history lessons. The print cannot be earlier than 1679 (dated) and the battle at Vienna (there were several to expel the Turks) was probably the one in 1683. To the original print is between 1683 and Leopold's death in 1705. Ulrike's copying would not be likely to be until she was at least 15, ie in 1703. She could have 'modernised' the recorder, but I think this is unlikely. If the original engraving (if it exists and these are not originals themselves) is, say, 1685, it is early for a representation of a 'baroque' (Hotteterre style) recorder, and could be the first unambiguous representation by a Swedish artist. Uppsala are considering paper-dating tests. The attribution of the work to Ulrika is uncertain. If they are not by her, and are in fact originals as drawing, the earlier dating, ie 1683 becomes a possbility" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
From Aria imperatoris Ferdinandi III, 36 modis variata pro cembalo, by F. Henricus (1648), engraving, Austrian. Vienna: National Library. Ref. Blume (1949-1963, 4: pl. 2); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). The score of what looks like a masque dance is held up by a woman standing beneath a spreading tree. Beside her, a man sits on a rock playing lyre. Opposite them, a group of musicians play lute, spinet, a flared-bell duct-flute of alto size (probably a recorder), and a slender, cylindrical pipe (possibly a flute).

Czech

[Untitled] (late 17th century), woodcarving from the royal throne of the Castle of Prague. Prague: City Museum. Ref. Buchner (1961: pl. 175). A bas relief with trumpet, lute, viol, viola, cornett and (alto) recorder. The recorder has a very considerable flare at the bell and clearly shows paired holes for the lowest vent.

Danish

Title page: Giardino nova bellissimo (1605), Melchior Borchgrevinck (? - 1632), published by Henricus Waltkirch, Copenhagen, Denmark. London: British Museum. Ref. Fraenkel (1968: pl. 92). A collection of madrigals that includes specimens by Claudio Monteverdi, Rossi, Croce and others, including Borchgrevinck himself. The title panel is surrounded by a decorative border. On the left stands Apollo with his lyre; on the right Pan with his syrinx. Above musicians around a table sing and play lutes and viol. Below, Pegasus stands on Mt Helicon at the foot of which the Muses sing and play lutes, fiddle, cornett and a flared-bell pipe (probably a recorder since all fingers of the lowermost hand are covering their holes).
Musical Angels (17th century), ceiling decoration, Danish. Hillerød: Frederiksborg Slot (Castle), Great Hall. Ref. Website: Denmark Travel Encylopedia, Planetware: Denmark Tourist Attraction Photos (2002). At each of the four corners of one of many rectangular panels an angel holds a columnar wind instrument. These possibly represent columnar recorders.

Dutch

Organ case (ca 1602), carved wood, Dutch. 's Hertengebosch Cathedral. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "The organ case, assembled around 1602, is enormous, covering the entire West wall of a large cathedral. The wood is, or was, stained very dark, and the light in the cathedral not good because of the heavy stained-glass windows. Quite low down, at the cornice of the underpart of the tribune, are eight grotesques, probably fauns, playing wind and percussion instruments, including shawm, transverse flute and one which could be a recorder or mute cornett – the bottom of the instrument below the lower hand is damaged, which does not help identification. This is the fourth on the left. The second from the left plays an instrument which looks as though it might be a recorder, and there is an even more probably one on the right side of the row of fauns. Additionally, very high up, are some 'crossed object' decorations filling square spaces, and one of these could be a pair of small hand fluyts" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Frontispiece: Amsterdams Fluytertje' (1626), engraving, Dutch. Utrecht: Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit. Ref. Griffioen (1991: 69, fig. 4.1 - b&w). A shepherd wearing a very wide hat sits on a bank against the Amsterdam skyline playing a long narrow slightly flared recorder with a pronounced bell. An accompanying verse reads:
Viool of Clavecoort, de Harp, de Lier of Luyt,
Behaghen Amaril niet soo wel als myn Fluyt;
Waer door dat ick veracht het speelen op de Snaren,
En wil op dese Fluyt de deuntjes t'saem vergaren.

Violin or clavichord, harp, lyre or lute,
None please Amarillis as well as my flute;
And so I disdain the playing of the string;
And on this flute the tunes together bring.
Decorated archway (? 1632), carved marble, Dutch. Amsterdam: Westerkerk, Western doorway. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). The doorways to this church were originally entrance portals to a cemetery and carry symbols of death. Four putti hold a wreath: on the left, one sits on an hourglass; on the right, one sits on a skull; two in the centre stand either side of a plinth surmounted by another skull and on the front of which is a garland of an oboe and a recorder crossed with a music book. The recorder is cylindrical with a raised bead at above the foot.
Young Man playing the Flute (ca 1630), oil on panel, 92 × 67.3 cm, South Netherlandish or German School. London: Sotheby's: Old Master Paintings Day Sale LO8037, Lot 128, December 2008. Ref. Anonymous Sale, Tajan, Paris, Lot 26 (22 June 2006); Catalogue: Sotheby's Sale, LO8037 (2008). A young man in a magnificent feathered hat wearing a jacket with slashed sleeves and an ermine stole around his shoulders sits at a table playing a perfectly depicted renaissance tenor recorder, the beak, window/labium, fingerholes (doubled for the lowermost finger) clearly visible. Before him lie smoking implements and playing cards. "Property from the London Residence of Luigi Koelliker … The painter and indeed the precise origin of this impressive panel remain elusive. Although clearly aware of the impact of contemporary Caravaggism in the north, especially in the centres of Utrecht in the northern Netherlands and Antwerp in the south, its author has decried its interest in dramatic chiaroscuro in favour of a more decorative line. The elaborate costume and finely rendered still life elements, reminiscent of painters like Gottfried Wedig in Cologne, suggest that its author may have been working to the east of the Netherlands in the Rhineland. A similar artistic personality can be found, for example, in Simon Peter Tilmann (1601-1668), who was apprenticed in Utrecht and worked there from around 1637 to 1647, but otherwise worked in Bremen" (Sotheby's, 2008).
Arcadian landscape with a shepherd playing a flute and a shepherdess singing (ca 1630/40), oil on panel, 16 × 20,5 cm, Dutch. Haarlem: Frans Hals Museum, Inv. OS I-620. Watched by their sheep, a shepherd and shepherdess sit beneath a tree. She sings from a sheet of paper, he accompanies her on a narrowly conical recorder, his mouth and fingers perfectly disposed for recorder playing.
An Extensive Landsape with Peasant Women reading Paper as a Traveller stands by and a Shepherd Boy pipes (1632), ? after Le Nain, Dutch (School of Haarlem). Loc. Unknown. Ref. Christies (London), Catalogue (18 May 1990); Constance scholten ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2008). Beside a road, a man leaning on his walking stick stands before a woman seated on a bank reading or perhaps singing from a sheet of paper. Above her sits a young boy playing on what appears to be a recorder, given the hand position and paired holes for the little finger of the lowermost hand. Beside him is a bagpipe. A small child clambers up the bank behind him. A sheep and a couple of goats seem to be appreciating the music. in the foreground is a large brass ewer. The presence of both bagipes and recorder is unusual. This painting is strongly reminiscent of paintings by the Le Nain brothers.
Vanitas Still-life (mid-17th century), oil on panel, 47 x 60 cm, Dutch. Amsterdam: Sotheby's, 6 May 1997, Lot 33. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie 33479 (2010-col.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Includes a rose, a songbook and the upper half of a recorder with a brass sheath covering the beak; the body below the first finger-hole is hidden. Formerly attributed to Hendrik Andriessen (1607-1655).
Decorated swags (? 1632), carved marble, Dutch. Amsterdam: Westerkerk, each side of organ, by wall. Ref. Zanten (1999); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Groups of musical instruments, very finely carved, including on right (North) side of organ a soprano recorder with a head slightly larger in circumference than the body (foot obscured), and several parts of recorders on both sides.
The Paston Treasure, (ca 1665), Dutch. Norwich: Castle Museum. Ref. Rijksmuseum Bulletin (1960, 8: 92); Hill & Cornforth (1966: 44); Connoisseur (1967, 164: 25); Exhibition: Stilleben in Europa, Münster, Baden Baden (1979-1980: 439, no. 230); Rasmussen (2002, Trumpet). A still-life. "Includes a pochette, violin, theorbo-lute, cittern, recorder, trumpet and music book" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Young Man with an Elegant Young Woman in an Interior (1670-1690), Dutch. Location unknown. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie 33345 (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). A clearly depicted soprano recorder lies on some music.
Still-life (1689), Dutch. Location unknown. Ref. Sale catalogue (?date: fig. 27); Paris RIdIM (2000). A jumble of objects lie precariously on a cloth-covered table inclusing a lute, statuette, a globe, books, papers, a violin, an artist's pallette, a small framed portrait, documents with seals (?legal documents) and the bell and fontanelle of a shawm or tenor recorder projecting from underneath a wallet of some kind.
Title page: Trios, Opus 1 by Servaas de Konink (1690), engraving, Dutch. Durham: Cathedral Library. Ref. Haynes (2001: 155, pl. 3.3) At the foot of the title page are a bassoon, 3 oboes, and a perfectly depicted baroque recorder.
Vanitas Still Life (early 17th century, Dutch. Engelskirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen: Schloss Ehreshoven. Ref. ? Author (1972: fig. 257). "Includes a violin, a lute and a recorder. unimp." ((Rasmussen, 2004, Lute).
Two Men Singing (17th century), mezzotint, Dutch. The Hague: Gemeentemuseum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). "In the style of Brouwer, possibly after a painting or drawing by him or a follower. One singer sits at a table with a small cylindrical duct-flute in his hand; the other stands nearby. The seated man could be singing or laughing; he holds the instrument in playing position, left hand uppermost. The right-hand second and fourth fingers half-cover their holes, with an open hole between them and another (in line) below. A likely hand fluyt" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Man with a Flute (17th century), Dutch. Collection Ducenne Bouillon. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A man holds a recorder between his lips which are very relaxed. Two holes for the lowermost finger are just visible.
Pastoral (17th century), oil on copper, 22.3 × 16.4 cm, Dutch. Toulouse: Musée des Augustins, Inv. RO 489. Ref. Joconde Website (1999). A leafy, pastoral scene in which shepherd with a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) guards his sheep, accompanied by a dog. Not seen.
Carving on a commode (17th century), Dutch. Aachen: Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, AAsm - 156). Includes two violins, cello, flute, bassoon and a recorder or chalumeau. Not seen.
Gilded ornamental carving (>1630), Anonymous. Alkmaar: Grote St-Laurenskerk, great organ. Ref. Website: David en Goliath, De Victorie van Alkmaar (2002). Three musical angels. Two sing and one plays a slender conical pipe which is slightly curved towards the foot. No window/labium is visible which, together with the curve seems to imply that a cornett was intended. However, all fingers of the lowermost (right) hand are down and appear to be covering their holes, so a recorder remains a possibility. The organ's origins date back to 1630. The general plan, which has been preserved to this day, was designed by Jacob van Campen, the famous architect of the royal palace in Amsterdam. Although its internal workings have been altered, most recently by Flentrop, the external case and ornamentation has remained untouched.
Standing Shepherd with a Flute (17th century), crayon and pencil on brown paper, 22.7-28 × 13 cm, Dutch. Cologne: Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Z 1913/183. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, KNwr - 411). A hatted shepherd leans against a tree stump his staff in his left hand, an alto flared-bell recorder in his right.
Vanitas (17th century), oil on canvas, Dutch. Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - col.) On a draped table are a statuette, a plumed helmet, an hourglass, a candlestick and candle, two sea-shells, playing cards, letters, a skull, a violin, and a cylindrical recorder with a metal sheath apparently covering the beak and extending below the window/labium. The foot of the recorder is hidden behind underneath the letters. Auctioned 2 November 2000, sold (Gabrius, loc. cit.)
Vanitas (17th century), oil on canvas, Dutch. Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - b& w.) In a trunk lies a jumble of objects including books, a candlestick and candle, a large sea-shell, a skull, a watch, medallions, an hourglass, an engraved portrait, sheet music, a violin, and the head of a recorder, only the upper head of which is visible but with the beak, windway, and window/labium clearly depicted. Auctioned 14 October 1998 , sold (Gabrius, loc. cit.)
Goatherds in a Landscape (17th century), oil on canvas, Dutch. Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - b& w.) A shepherd and shepherdess sit opposite one another watching their sheep and goats. She holds a long staff; he is about to play his slender flared-bell pipe which may represent a recorder. Auctioned 3 October 1996, sold (Gabrius, loc. cit.)
Young Men in a Study (17th century), oil on panel, Dutch. Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - col.) A young man welcomes a friend into his study. On a table behind him are a globe, papers and a renaissance-style recorder with a flared bell which looks as if it may be made of brass! Leaning against a chair is a lute. A companion-piece is entitled Ladies Sewing. Auctioned 3 July 1996, sold (Gabrius, loc. cit.)
Still-life, (17th century), oil on canvas, Dutch. Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - b&w). On a carpet-draped table are a book, a gilt beaker, a candlestick a gilt tankard, a stoneware pot, a sheet of music and a baroque alto recorder with ivory beak and mounts, the foot of which is hidden behind the other objects. Auctioned 17 November 1992, sold (Gabrius, loc. cit.)
Pastoral Scene with Shepherds and Shepherdesses (late 17th century), Dutch. Location unknown. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). One of the shepherds holds in his left hand a cylindrical alto recorder with a slightly flared bell; an ornamental bead, the window/labium and two possible finger-holes are visible.
Ornate gilt picture frame (? 17th century), for Cornelis Pieterz. Bega's The Music Lesson (1663). Stockholm: Nationalmuseum, NM 310. Ref. Anthony Rowland-jones (pers. comm., 2000). There is no recorder in the picture itself. The cartouche at the top of the frame shows a recorder crossed with a cittern. The recorder has a curved-over beak, heavily moulded rings, and a small cut-out shape for the window/labium. Below this the instrument is hidden up to the lower part with paired little-finger-holes and two finger-holes above. The bell-end is heavily ring-moulded. The date of the frame is unknown. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Tryomph van Swerelts Rijckdom (1663), Dutch. Utrecht: Museum Catharijneconvent. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). The hand of God weighs the arts against a cannon and catholic regalia, the arts weighing much heavier. Right across the bottom of the picture are books, archictectural drawings and many musical instruments, including lutes, flute, violin, shawm, cornett and, at the centre, an alto/tenor recorder. The latter is fairly cylindrical but the bell is slightly flared with three incised rings. Both the plug in the beak end and the side of the window/labium is visible. There are five finger-holes and a sixth seems to be covered by a clay pipe. Possibly from the Haarlem School, Utrecht.
Old Woman with a Recorder (17th century), oil on canvas, 56.5 × 39.4 cm, Dutch, Utrecht School. London: Phillips, 7 July 1998, Lot 165; formely N. Ström, Göteborg. Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.); Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie 47659 (2010-col.) An old woman (depicted bust-length) wearing a turban grasps a recorder in her right hand. Only the head of recorder can be seen and the corner of a maker's mark is just visible.
[Musicians] (17th century), 39.5 × 32 cm, Dutch (Utrecht School). London: offered for sale by Mrs Sefton (1952). Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague, negative no. L33841; Ruth van Baak Griffioen (pers. comm., 2003). Four musicans stand in what appears to be a balcony: a female singer with her music; a female recorder player whose instrument is of the hand-fluyt kind; a female viol player who holds her instrument over the side of the balcony; and a male violinist in the background.
[Shepherd with a Recorder] (17th century), Dutch. Location unkown: sold Holland. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Doucmentatie, The Hague, negative no. 24268; Ruth van Baak Griffioen (pers. comm., 2003). A shepherd with curly hair wearing a fur cloak holds a perfectly depicted hand-fluyt
[Shepherd and Shepherdess] (17th century), Dutch (Utrecht School). Location unknown: offered for sale by J. Sachs, Warsaw (1939). Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Doucmentatie, The Hague ex Ruth van Baak Griffioen (pers. comm., 2003). A young shepherdess sits with an open music book on her knee. Beside her, a young shepherd looks questioningly up at her, one hand on her shin, the other holding a recorder only the head and upper body of which are visible. This composition is somewhat reminiscent of Abraham Bloemaert's Shepherd and Shepherdess (1627)in the Nidersächsiches Landesmuseum, Hannover.
[Shepherd with a Recorder] (17th century), 40 × 66 cm, Dutch (Utrecht School). Location unknown: sold by Malmedé, Keulen (1936). Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Doucmentatie, The Hague ex Ruth van Baak Griffioen (pers. comm., 2003). Marked on the back 'Stork' and possibly '1651'. A shepherd in a plumed cap and a loose shirt and cloak holds a hand-fluyt in his left hand and points with his right.
Carved oak cupboard (17th century), artist unknown, Dutch. Fyvie Castle (ca 40 km NW of Aberdeen): entrance hall. Ref. Hersom (1994: 65, detail - b&w); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2003). On the front of the chest a child instrumentalist holds a flared pipe (possibly a recorder though the lowermost finger-hole is single and in line with the rest), the upper part of which is missing.
Vanitas Still-life with Books (late 17th century, oil on panel, 47 × 60 cm, Dutch. Location unknown: formerly Private Collection, Netherlands; offered for sale by David Koetser Gallery, Zürich (? date). Ref. Constance Scholten (pers. comm., 2005); Debra Pring (2006). On a stone shelf are an inkwell and quill, a stone jar, books, an arrow, hourglass, watch, rose, elaborate oil lamp, and an alto-sized one-piece recorder with a maker's mark in a scroll immediately beneath the window/labium. One of the books seems to be a hymnal, open at a page headed 's Menschen Ooghmerck CANON à 4 In een stem with words and music. Attributed to Hendrik Andriessen (1607-1655) by its former owner, David Koetster, and before that to Pieter Steenwijk by Sotheby's.
Flute Player (17th century), painting, artist unknown, ? Dutch. Brussels: Palais des beaux-arts(BOZAR). Ref. Universitatario Olandese di Storia dell'Arte Firenze, Special Photo Study Collections, Image 0000648 (2009 - b&w). A bearded man in feathered hat holds a flared-bell recorder, left hand uppermost.
Flute Player (17th century), painting, artist unknown, ? Dutch. Location unknown. Ref. Universitatario Olandese di Storia dell'Arte Firenze, Special Photo Study Collections, Image 0015716 (2009 - b&w). A young lad in a feathered hat plays cylindrical recorder, left hand uppermost.
Boy Flute Player, by Oil Lamp (17th century), painting, artist unknown, ? Dutch. Ref. Universitatario Olandese di Storia dell'Arte Firenze, Special Photo Study Collections, Image 0000647 (2009 - b&w). Caravaggesque-style depiction of a young boy in a feathered cap holding a musical score in one hand and a cylindrical alto-sized recorder in the other.
A Young Flute Player with a Companion Figure (17th century), oil on canvas, 24 × 18 cm, Dutch School. Location unknown: Bonhams (New York & San Francisco), Sale 15410 - European Paintings, 7 November 2007, Lot 39. Watched by an older man, a young boy plays a cylindrical recorder. Although the dispostion of his fingers is haphazard, there appear to be seven finger-holes.
Still-life (17th century), oil on panel, 39.2 × 33.7 cm, Netherlands. Belgium: Private Collection; auctioned Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 3 May 1999 Lot 166. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistoriche Documentatie 60820 (2010-col.) On a bench are a vase of flowers, an hourglass, a book, some papers, and a hand-fluyt, only the head and body of which are visible.
Decorative panel (17th century), 175 x 76 cm, Netherlands. Netherlands: Private Collection. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistoriche Documentatie 102338 (2010-col.) In the centre a baroque recorder hangs from a string. The margins of the panel are decorated with vegetation. One of a set of three decorative panels which were heavily restored in 2002.
Dancing Peasants and Musicians (17th century), black chalk on paper, 210 × 332 mm, Dutch. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale. Ref. Lugt (1936: nr 264); Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistoriche Documentatie 109986 (2010-b&w). An elderly couple dance to music provided by a drummer and a piper. Although only sketched, the pipe is clearly a duct-flute since the window/labium is clearly visible.

English

Coat of Arms (ca 1611-1612), stone carving. Bakewell (Derbyshire): Vernon Chapel, Parish Church of All Saints, tomb of Sir John Manners. Ref. Hunter (1966: 18); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). A coat of arms comprising a shield in which one of 12 quarterlings for Vernon on a larger shield, with recorders forming a chevron, with the mouthpieces close together (the reverse of those at Tong). There are also eight 'crossess crosslet' as described above in the Pype family coat of arms. Also on the larger shield also contains 16 quarterlings for Manners (Sir John Manners was Dorothy Vernon's husband). The quartering of the shield indicates that Dorothy Vernon and her husband were several generations younger than Sir William Vernon of Tong. The "Dorothy Vernon Monument" mentioned by by Hunter (loc. cit) as such does not exist! Sir William Vernon of Tong, who married Margaret Pype, was an ancestor of Sir George Vernon (d. 1567) commemorated by an alabaster monument along with his wives Margaret and then Maude. His daughter Dorothy famously eloped (1563) with John Manners, later Sir John and Earl of Rutland, with his ancestral home at Belvoir Castle, perched on the wold escarpment near Grantham. This more spectacularly-sited residence became the choice of the Rutlands when they inherited Haddon, which was neglected until restorations were carefully made by the 9th Duke of Rutland in the 20th century. Belvoir was virtually rebuilt to stay up-to-date with changing fashions, and is now an immense Victorian pile. Having produced four children (seen on the monument to Sir John Manners at Bakewell), Dorothy died in 1584 and her effigy lies beside her husband's, who died at a good age in 1611. The coat of arms harking back to Dorothy's Pype ancestors is on the side of the tomb, which would have been made around 1611 to 1612. The Vernon Chapel is now used as a vestry and is no longer open to the public.
From The Treasure of Musick (1669) by Henry Lawes, woodcut, English. Ref. Blume (1949-1963, 8: 369-370); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A woman, beautifully dressed and bejeweled and wearing a coronet, plays a lute, her music book on her lap. Behind her is an organ and on the wall a trophy comprising a violin and a cylindrical pipe (? flute) crossed with a flared-bell recorder, the beak and window/labium clearly visible. Henry Lawes died in 1662.
Mercury and Argus (17th century), Mortlake tapestry, English. Ref. Warburg Institute. In a wooded garden, Mercury, dressed in flowing robes and wearing his winged helmet and sandals, has just finished playing a turned baroque alto reorder to a somnolent Argus.
Vanitas (after 1698), English. Richmond: Collection Jill Croft-Murray. Ref. Bergmann (1965: 335); The English Orpheus 12: Odes on the Death of Henry Purcell, The Parley of Instruments Baroque Orchestra and Choir, Website: Hyperion Records CDA66578 (1992, cover - col.); Burden (1995: fig. 16 – b&w); Debra Pring (pers. comm., 2007); Mathew Dart (pers. comm., 2010). On a table covered with a rug are baroque alto and tenor ivory-mounted recorders with viola, guitar, bassoon, a copy open at the title page) of Henry Purcell's A Collection of Ayres Compos'd for the Theatre (1697), lying beside a portrait of the composer and three other scores scattered beneath the instruments. Beneath the bassoon is a copy of the Fifth Book of Thesaurus Musicus (1696). What looks like a violin bow lies across the centre of the picture. A cello stands on the right hand side. However, the Purcell portrait is an engraving by R. White (1645-1704) after John Closterman's portrait of Purcell (now in London's National Portrait Gallery) which appears as the frontispiece to Orpheus Britannicus, the first volume of which was published in 1698. This work has formerly been attributed to Evert Collier (ca 1640 – ?1710), in error (Fred Meijer, Rijksbureau Kunsthistorische Documentatie, Den Haag, ex Pring loc. cit.)
At the Dressing Table / Young Man with an Elegant Woman in an Interior, oil on panel, 37.5 × 43.5 cm, English. Private collection: sold by Koller, Zurich (2005). Ref. Bridgeman Art Library (2002: Image ID PFA 109540 - col.); Debra Pring (2007, pers. comm.) A cobbler fits a shoe to a woman seated before a table on which there are a basin, a jug, scissors and jewellery. On a stool to the side of the table lies an open music book with a a duct-flute (possibly a recorder). Formerly attributed to Evert Collier (ca 1640 – ? 1710).
Musical Instruments / Instrumenta Musica (17th century), engraving, English. Private Collection. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library (2003: Image F 105842). A room full of musical instruments. Some hang on the wall, some sit on a table, others are on the floor. They include triangle, bagpipe, drums, rattle, jew's harp, psaltery, hammered dulcimer, shawm, cornett, harp, clavichord, organ, cello, trumpet, xylophone, lute, and (on the table) a cylindrical pipe which could represent a recorder or flute. An accompanying caption in English and Latin reads:

Musical Instruments are
those that make a sound Musica Instrumenta sunt
quæ edunt vocem

Flemish

Portrait of Man Holding a Guitar and a Recorder (ca 1640), oil on canvas, 71.1 × 57.8 cm, Franco-Flemish School. Ref. Sotheby's, New York: Important Old Master Paintings, Sale NO8162, 26 January 2006, Lot 257. This was sold as Portrait of Man Holding Bagpipes A smiling man cradles in his arms a straw-covered wine-bottle and what is clearly a guitar – the ribbing of the vaulted back is visible, the gut frets can be clearly seen on the back of the neck, and the charactistic peg-box with 10 pegs extends over the man's shoulder. In his right hand he clutches a beautifully depicted tenor recorder of baroque design. There is no bagpipe in this painting !
Adoration of the Shepherds, oil on canvas, (? 17th century), Flemish. Grimbergen: Collection Pincket. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). Three shepherds visit the holy family. One offers a bowl of milk, a second prays, a third plays on his pipe, probably a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder – no holes are shown). A fourth shepherd in a sort of turban (or a woman, perhaps) looks on. Above the scene is a wicker bird cage.
Mercury and Argus (17th century), canvas, 83 × 15 cm, Flemish. Location unknown: sold Hotel Rameau, Versailles, 7 June 1973. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). Seated beneath a tree, Argus leans against his staff watching over Io (whom Jupiter has turned into a heifer) as Mercury (dressed as an unkempt peasant in a wide-brimmed hat) lulls him to sleep playing a long conical pipe, possibly a recorder since all four fingers of his lower (right) hand are covering their holes.
The Education of Bacchus (17th century), oil on canvas, 65 × 57.5 cm, Flemish. Quimper: Museum of Fine Arts, Inv. 873-1-141. Ref. Joconde Website (1999). Bacchus in a grotto as a crowned nude boy, a satyr, putti, dancing, drinking glasses, gold-plate -- and a duct-flute. Not seen.
[Musical Gathering] (17th century), Flemish. Berlin: Kunsthistorisches Museum. Ref. Capri, in Fabbri (1952, 2: 101); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Three men play music on lute, violin and a duct-flute (probably a recorder, only the head of which is visible); A young woman crowns the lutenist with a wreath.
Gilt, carved wooden panel (17th century), Flemish. Antwerp: Cathedral, case of the great organ. Ref. Jan Bouterse to Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). A number of panels visible from about the organist's bench include garlands of musical instruments. One such garland comprises harp, shawm, cornett, traverso and cylindrical recorder with details of the window/labium and finger-holes clearly depicted, the paired holes for the little finger of the lowermost hand arranged diagonally as if to indicate semitone holes! Others comprise drum, cornett, mute cornet, syrinx (comprised of seven duct-flutes with finger-holes); lute, tambourine and bagpipes; and guitar violin, traverso, fife and triangle (with jingle rings).
Virgin and Saints (?17th century), Flemish. London: National Gallery. One of the angels plays a very clear recorder. Note by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Lattice-carved wood screen (?17th century), Flemish. Cockayne Hatley Church, Bedfordshire: bell-tower chamber. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). " … the work of Henry Cockayne Rust who was both Squire and Rector of Cockayne Hatley from 1806 in beautifying his church with antique woodcarvings that came on the market after Napoleon's invasion of Flanders … The lattice carved wood screen in the bell-tower chamber is probably ecclesiastical in origin, and is probably Flemish ) and dated from around the last quarter of the 17th century. Dr Slater, the specialist on the Cockayne Hatley carvings, has discovered similar rails in a church in Leuven (Louvain). It has never been subjected to restoration … there are four panels with musical instruments in the trophy-like design of which three have recorders and oboes. One may have a second recorder, but the work is rather crude" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Hearing, oil on canvas, Flemish. Ericsbergs Slott, Södermanland (Sweden). RIdIM Stockholm ex Nordiska Museet, 195.J.q (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). An allegory of hearing with musicians and instruments on a logia in front of some water with several swans, derived from Velvet Breughel, but with the instruments (some 30 in all) less well drawn. There are viols of various sizes, lute, flute, shawm (played by a monkey), and a white, small duct-flute with a window/labium and five finger-holes (all close together), expanding to a wide bell-end, but with no flare, and a fourth hole at the side of the instrument at the level of the 2nd finger-hole. The latter is uncertain as a recorder. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Still-life (17th century), Flemish. Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) On a draped ledge are a vase of flowers, a book, a document, an hour-glass and cylindrical alto recorder of which the beak, head, window/labium and first three finger-holes are visible; the foot is occluded.
Oak cupboards (late 17th century), Flemish. St Omer: Musée Henri Dupuis, Flemish Kitchen. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2003). An exhibit abundant with Delft tiles and stained glass windows. In it there are two large cuboards, known as 'Ribbanken', with lavish oak carvings from the second half of the 17th century. The upper panels of the fronts of both cupboards depict dancing boys wearing peculiar square hats, and on the uprights there are other, naked figures. Several musical instruments are shown – transverse flute, shawm, bagpipe, cornett and a duct-flute, probably a recorder. The beak is short so the window/labium is positioned quite close to the player's lips. It is alto sized, very slightly outwardly conical but with a sharply flared wide-rimmed bell-end. The boy grasps the instrument in both hands (left-hand lowermost) revealing only two finger-holes below the left hand.
Fireplace decoration (?1651-1700), relief sculpture in marble, Flemish. Modave: Château de Modave, landing of the left stairway. Ref. Institute Royal du Patrimonie Artistique / Koninklijk Instituut voor hef Kunstpatrimonium (IRPA/KIK), Brussels (2007). A crudely carved trophy comprising a guitar crossed with some music, two unidentifiable wind-instruments (? flute and ? oboe), and a baroque recorder. Although partially hidden behind the guitar, the recorder is viewed side-on and the sculptor has gone to some trouble to show that the lowermost hole is offset.
Still-life with Musical Instruments (17th century), oil on canvas, 90 × 104 cm, Flemish. Köln: Lempertz, Alte Kunst, 18 November 2006, Lot 1173. On a table beneath a tasselled drape, on a table covered with a dark cloth, lie scattered drinking glasses, an ornate goblet, shells, a box, a jewellery casket and jewellery, two ripe pomegranates, a flask from which bubbles are rising, a pewter plate, a long clay smoking pipe, books, papers, a cornetto and a soprano hand-fluyt, completely visible.
Piping Girl (17th century), oil on canvas, 82.3 × 62.2 cm, Flemish New York: Sotheby's Sale N08404: Important Old Master Paintings Including European Works of Art, 25 Jan 2008, Lot 297. A young woman in a burnt orange gown stands with her back to us playing a narrowly conical pipe with a pronounced foot. No details of fingering, beak or window/labium are visible, but this could represent a recorder.

French

Preparation of a Wedding Banquet in a Garden (ca 1600), tapestry, French. Ref. Salmen (1976: pl. 21). Amidst energetic preparations, two musicians hurry towards what appear to be the chief caterer and ? master of ceremonies: one holds a large bagpipe, the other a very long, cylindrical duct-flute, probably a recorder.
Harpsichord decoration: Keyboard cover of Ruckers harpsichord (1628), decorated in France (late 17th century). Versailles: Cat. V2308. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999). The keyboard cover has a pipe and tambour. To the right, at the side, is a group of three putti (in their teens!) One sings with music; one plays a bass viol with a very unusual rose under the strings near the end of the fingerboard; another plays a duct-flute (probably a soprano recorder), his right hand in position at the lower part of the instrument. The recorder-player's left hand touches the hand of the violist who exchanges a smile with the singer, as if something had happened in their performance of the music.
Recorder Player (1640), canvas, French. Berlin: Archiv für Kunst und Geschichte. Ref. Pottier (1992: 53, pl. XXXXIX). Not seen.
Title Page: Les Pieces de Clavessin de Monsieur de Chambonnieres (1670), engraving, (? Lollain), French. Ref. Early Music 21(2): 191 (1993). A cylindrical alto or tenor recorder (several holes are visible and the mouth-piece is beak-shaped) hangs on the wall at the far left of the engraving.
Le Concert Royal des Muses from an Almanach published by le veuve Moncornet, Paris (1671), engraving, French. Ref. Mirimonde (1975, 1: 63); Rasmussen (1999c). "The Muses (there are only seven) sing and play double bass, lute, recorder and tambourine" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Trophy with Musical Instruments (1675), wood carving, French. Bretagne: Eglise de Guimiliau, left side of the organ loft. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A trophy comprising a violin, trumpet, marine trumpet and recorder crossed. The recorder is conical in profile, has a much expanded bell with paired holes for the lowermost finger on the foot-joint, and a clearly shown beak, though this seems to be back to front.
Trophy with Musical Instruments (1675), wood carving, French. Bretagne: Eglise de Guimiliau, on front panel of the positive organ. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A trophy consisting of a book of music, an unusual-looking kit with many strings, and two conical recorders with much expanded bells similar to the above.
Poem for the Year 1643 (1679), ink & gouache on paper, French. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. Cod.gall. 36, Fol. 7 v. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Mbs - H 521). Beneath a poem related to the year 1643 are two musical trophies each a mmirror image of the other. Each includes a side drum and beaters, a trumpet, a kettledrum, a viol, a lute and a recorder, the latter crudely drawn.

Quand la Parque eut runie des Roys le plus Auguste,
Aimé de ses sujets eraint de ses enimia,
Que l'amour qui'il eut pour Themis.
… … …
LOVIS LE GRAND de qui les Dieux,
Nous ont acordé la naissance,
Pour la fortune de la Frances,
Recueux de ses ayeuls le Septre glorieux.
Frontispiece: Bellérophon (published by Ballard, 1680), engraving, French. Cambridge: University Library; Denton: University of North Texas, Music Library M1500 L95 B4. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). The head of a recorder can be seen among other instruments on each side of a cartouche bearing the title Bellérophon at the foot of the whole page, facing the title page of Lully's opera livret, first performed in January 1679. Both groups have a drum in the centre with a muddle of other instruments sticking around; the recorder is on the right and is of renaissance or pre-baroque style, its extended beak suggesting a long windway.
Title Page: La fuite de roi à Angleterre, à trois instruments by Nicolas Dérosier (1689), Amsterdam. Ref. Archiv Moeck. Marginal decoration includes viol, lute, oboe, violin, guitar and an ornately decorated baroque three-piece recorder.
Frontispiece: Piece de Clavecin by Jean-Henri d'Anglebert (1689), engraving, French. Ref. Anderson (1994: 72); Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). Music sits astride a globe playing her lyre. Above her flies a dove. Below, putti sing and play organ, violin, and flute. Hanging from a tree is a garland of instruments comprising an oboe, horn, straight trumpet and syrinx. Scattered about are a harpsichord, lute, viola, bass viol, and tucked right in the bottom foreground, next to an open music book, is a very clearly depicted soprano-sized baroque (Hotteterre-style) recorder.
Title page: Les Trio des Opera de Monsieur de Lully [sic.] published by Amédée le Chevalier, Amsterdam (1690), engraving, French. Ref. Blume (1949-1963, 8: 427-428); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). The title is surrounded by musical instruments, some held by angel-putti, including trumpets, violins, oboes, and a number of three-piece, baroque recorders of various sizes.
Amants donnant une sérénade [Lovers Serenading] (1693), engraving, French. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale. Ref. Pottier (1992: 15, pl. III); Pottier (1995: 126, pl. 1- b&w); Archiv Moeck. Two ladies on a balcony are serenaded by two wigged musicians playing a baroque recorder and guitar. A maid bids us be silent.
Musical Angels (1699), frescos, French. Albi: La Cathédrale Ste Cécile, Chapelle du Saint-Sacrement. Detail 1, Detail 2, Detail. 3. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) The Chapelle du Saint-Sacrement is one of 28 chapels on the perimeter of this large building which dates from 1282. One of its wall frescos includes putti singing and playing harp, lute, violin and a pipe with a flared bell, possibly a recorder. A decorative ceiling fresco depicts putti playing straight & folded trumpets, pipe & tabor, flute, and a small flared-bell pipe, probably a recorder. In the middle of the ceiling Saint Cecilia presides over the music played by adult angels singing and playing straight trumpets, timbrel,
Trophy (? 17th century), stone carving, French. Versailles (Yvelines): Château, Grand Trianon, typanum of window. Ref. Matte (2005, col.) An elaborate trophy with musettes, shawms, oboes and an alto and a basset recorder. Only the head and upper body of the alto recorder are visible, but its characteristic beak and window/labium are quite clear. The head of the basset is hidden behind an architrave, but its body, fontanelle and foot are clearly depicted.
Still-life with musical instruments (17th century), oil on canvas, 81 × 70.5 cm, ? French. Citée de la Musique, E.982.1.30 Ref. Citée de la Musique (2000); Gétreau (? date), Délegati - Exposition - Instrumentistes et luthiers parisiens, Paris; Anglès, J (?date), La Nature morte aux instruments de musique, milieu 17ème. On a table lie scattered a viol, a renaissance-style recorder, music, books, fruit, and a glass vase.
L'Abreuvoir (17th century), 93 × 117 cm, after Le Nain, French. Paris: Musée du Louvre INV 6839. Ref. Joconde Website. As a man lifts the lid of a trough, a young girl dips a small bowl into the water, a sheep drinks, other farm animals look on. So too, do two women, one of whom points to a young boy playing a duct-flute (possibly a recorder).
The Duke of Burgundy and his Court Chasing Birds (17th century), after a late 15th-century miniature, French (Versailles).
Flute player (17th century), print by Étienne Le Blond (d. 1727), Paris. Ref. Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A man in an ermine lined coat wearing a wreath of leaves and flowers holds a cylindrical duct-flute (probably a recorder) in his right hand. The window/labium and the first three finger-holes are clearly visible. A verse below reads:
Si lon voit rauerdir a mode que je chante
Les feuilles et les fleurs de mon beau chapelet
Doit on pas confesser quil est fait d'amaranthe
Et que Zephir souspire en mon doux flageolet.
Elements and Seasons: Air (1683), silk, wool, metal thread on canvas 49 stitches/sq. cm, 426.7 × 274.3 cm, French (Parisian). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1946 (46.43.4) Ref. Gazette des Beaux-Arts (1989, 113: 96); Ramsussen (2002, Horn - as Panel Glorifying Louis XIV). "Includes two small, 1-1/2 circle coiled horns and a curved horn among the several musical instruments (musettes, oboe, recorder, straight trumpets) in the border" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.) However, I can see no recorder in this work, only flageolets, also syrinxes and flutes.

"The impressive program of Elements and Seasons is made more personal by having the king, the marquise de Montespan, and six of their children take the roles of the central figures. The complete set, of which four hangings are in the Metropolitan Museum, may be identical to wall decorations in "tapisserie de petit point" that decorated the king's apartment at the Château de Rambouillet. Here, the monarch is shown as Jupiter, seated on an eagle and holding thunderbolts and a Medusa-headed shield. Also meant to personify Air, the figure is surrounded by winged creatures—parrots, raptors (including a hooded falcon), songbirds, and butterflies—as well as wind instruments. Commissioned by the marquise de Montespan (1641–1707), the hangings were probably embroidered at the Parisian convent of Saint-Joseph-de-la-Providence, which also executed other royal projects, including furnishings for Versailles. One of the marquise's favorite charities—she was named a director in 1681 and retired there ten years later—the convent provided vocational training needlework for orphan girls" (New York Metropolitan Art Museum, 2002)
Rococo Panel Emblematic of the Arts (17th century, carved wood, French. Chicago: Art Institute, 1962.819. Ref. Ford (1987: #57). "A putto is holding a harp, shawm, recorder, and trumpet (only the bell of which is visible). Another putto holds a lute, viol, shawm, and curved horn" (Ford, loc. cit.)
? Allegory of Air: ? Winter (? late 17th century), ? French. Ref. Bartsch (1954-1870, 9 Supplement, Andr. 1: 173/217). Marked bottom right "A.VI". An ornate bellows which is feeding flames in a crucible is flanked by two eagles and surmounted by two winged putti who hold spears and whom are variously standing and sitting on piles of musical instruments including shawms, bagpipes, organetto, and trumpets. Another two winged putti are on each side; that on the right plays a small flared-bell pipe (shawm or duct-flute). At the bottom right and left corners are trophies of musical instruments which include hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, horn, straight trumpet, fiddle lute, and a duct-flute the beak, window/labium and several finger-holes of which are visible, the foot hidden. Notes (in part) by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).
Mercury and Argus (?17th century), painting on wood, French. Oiron (Deux-Sèvres): Château, Salle du Roi (Salle d'Armes), on the ceiling beams in the entrance to the room and the top of the central staircase. Ref. Matte (2001–, col.) An oval medallion depicting Mercury & Argus. Mercury, wearing a red hat, sits at the foot of a tree; before him lies his caduceus; beside him is his sword. Io, as a white heifer, looks on, miserably. Argus listens, his many eyes are wide open. The flared-bell pipe with which Mercury serenades Argus is ambiguous: it could be a shawm, but it is rather more likely to represent a recorder: a shawm would hardly serve to send Argus to sleep!
[ Piper] (17th century), painting on wood, 30 × 300 cm, French. Oiron (Deux-Sèvres): Château, first floor, ceiling of galerie du Grand Ecuyer. Ref. Matte (2001–, col.) One of a number of panels representing various musical instruments. The originals were done under the direction of Louis Gouffier, but were repainted ca 1950 par Mme Dorian. A shepherd with his back to us plays a cylindrical pipe, possibly a duct-flute
Trophy (17th century), painted, French. Montaroux, Var region of Provence: Chapelle St Barthelemy. Ref. John Turner ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (2008). A crudely painted trophy in which a violin is crossed with a highly stylised duct-flute (proably a recorder) above a score.
Angel Orchestra, painting on wooden ceiling, 17th-century, France. Detail. Carnac: Église baptistry. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) On either side of a small organ angel musicians play viol, lute, violins, and harp. Perched on the top of the organ, another angel plays a flared-bell pipe, possibly a recorder.
Musical Angel, painting on wooden ceiling, 17th-century, France. Carnac: Église, baptistry. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) An angel plays a slender pipe, possibly a recorder since all fingers of the lowermost (left) hand are covering their holes.
Musical Angel with a Recorder (17th century), carved & painted wood, French. Brélès: Église paroissiale Notre-Dame. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) Nestled amongst the roof beams on top of a wooden corbel, a putto plays a recorder, left-hand uppermost. The beak, window/labium and flared foot are clearly represented and the fingers are perfectly disposed for recorder-playing. Other putti play bagpipe, shawm, drum and cymbals. The church dates from the 14th century but was rebuilt in the 17th century and largely rebuilt and enlarged in 1855.

German

Writing cabinet (ca 1600), intarsia, oak & maple, 28.9 × 36 × 24.4 cm, German. Munich: Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Inv. R 2571. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, Mbnm - 530); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). On the inside of the lid a number of musical instruments are depicted: drum, viol, cornetto, lute, bagpipe and a flared-bell recorder, the beak and seven finger-holes of which are clearly represented.
Title page: Modorum sacrorum … lib. secundus (1603), Christian Erbach (ca 1570-1635), published by Johannes Praetorius, Augsburg, print, German. Augsburg: Staats- und Stadtbibliothek. Ref. Fraenkel (1968: pl. 86). An elaborate decoration around the title panel includes angels above playing straight trumpets, lute, curtal, flute. Below men and women play violin, viol, virginals, lute, sackbut, dulcian and a narrow cylindrical duct-flute (probably a recorder), the window/labium of which is just visible.
Emblem Book: NUNC DVLCIOR FLVIT (1580-1604), ink & pencil, 28.5 × 21 cm, German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. Cod. icon. 424. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, Mbs - H 734); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Apollo and the Muses by the Hippocrene fountain on Mt Helicon with musical instruments, including recorder, violin, trumpet, crumhorn, viol. Pegasus rises from the ground.
Title page: Terpsichore prima (1618), Elias Holwein, published by Elias Holwen, Wolfenbüttel, wood engraving, German. Uppsala: University Library. Ref. Fraenkel (1968: pl. 91). The publisher, himself a noted wood engraver, may have designed the title page. Around the title and publication details are ornamental borders. On the left Apollo plays his lyre; on the right Pan plays a reed pipe with a flared bell. Above, is Parnassus where Pegasus and Mercury preside over the Muses who sing and play lute, viol, lyre, fiddle, a flared bell pipe (? shawm) and a slender cylindrical pipe (probably a recorder since all fingers of the lower-most hands seem to be employed, but no details of the window/labium are visible).
Title page: Frankfurt Liederbuch (1632), Ref. Archiv Moeck. Musicians are seated around a table playing transverse flute, lute and a pipe (almost certainly a recorder, judging by the little finger of the lowermost hand closing its hole).
Woman with a Recorder (1632), gouache on paper, German. Frankfurt/Main: Historisches Museum. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Fhm - 192a. A woman with a recorder. Not seen.
Drawing of the Tombstone of Prince Moritz of Saxony (1553-1650), ink & watercolour on paper mounted on canvas, drawn & painted with quill and brush, 62.5 × 78 cm, German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. Cod. icon. 208. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, Mbs - H 584); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Between rows of weapons, armor and tools are a large cylindrical drum with tension strap, two drums each with two sticks, a recorder, a shawm, a folded trumpet, a case for three wind instruments, and various unidentifiable sections of wind instruments. On the bottom are two timpani, along with arrows and the like. Not seen.
Funerary altar (p. 1676), German. Trier: Diocesan Museum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Enormous baroque funerary altar of Archbishop Carl Kaspar von der Leyen (Archbishop of Trier 1652-1676). "On a pilaster to the left of the central arch which frames a large sculpted figure, are decorative swags of musical instruments with an orpharion (probably) crossing a tenor recorder. The mouthpiece and window/labium of the latter are very clear, but most of the body is hidden, so no finger-holes are visible. The foot-end protrudes beneath, indicating a mainly cylindrical instrument with slight bell flare and wood thickening. In the same decoration are a tambourine and some unidentifiable parts of other wind instruments. That fact that this is an 'old-style' recorder in a state-of-the-art work suggests that even by 1676 (the earliest dating) the sculptor had not seen a Hotteterre-style baroque recorder. He may, however, have been copying long-established decorative patterns" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Woodcarved frame of Portrait of Johann Adam Reincken, (17th century), German. Hamburg: Historical Museum, Music Room. Ref. Favre (1990: 77-col.) Portrait of Adam Reinken (1623-1732), organist of the Katherinen Church Hamburg (whom J.S. Bach walked to Hamburg to hear), surrounded by a wood-carved frame with various musical instruments including viol, organ, lute, a bassoon (or dulcian) and two pipes (possibly recorders) protruding from the organ. Only the lower third of each of the latter is visible with four holes showing, the remainder being hidden by the organ. The pipe on the left has a turned 'Virdung' style foot; that on the right has a flared bell. On the right of the frame there is a third pipe with less bell flare and three or four holes showing.
Varii vesitus in Picturis praesertim venetianorum et quorundam Italorum: Street Theatre with Musik (? early 17th century), pen & ink, 14.5 x 11.2 cm, German. Munich: Bayerische Nationalmuseum, Inv. Hs. 3659, Fol. 41 r. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, Mbnm - 432); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). A manuscript picture book illustrating traditional dress styles in Venice and elsewhere in Italy. Amongst the illustrations is one depicitng a make-shift stage with three actors. On the left is a quack doctor who holds high a flare; in the centre is a woman who plays a violin or fiddle; to the right is a man who plays a small duct-flute (possibly a recorder). A caption reads Zarlatani montano in Bancho.
Key with carved handle (? 17th century), wrought iron, German. Munich: Bayerische Nationalmuseum, Inv. E 1172. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, Mbnm - 472); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). The design of the key handle includes a tiny recorder-like instrument.
David with the head of Goliath is received by the City (17th century), oil on panel, 42 × 82.5 cm, German. Heidelberg: Kurpfälzisches Museum, Inv. L 28. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, HDkm - 53); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). David approaches on the left; on the right are four young women with recorder (or shawm), lute, triangel and tambourine. Women are rarely depicted playing shawms.
The Smoker: "Trahit sua quema voluptas" (17th century), German. Location unknown. Ref. Warburg Institute, London; Paris RIdIM (1999). A decadent youth in a striped military coat and a ridiculous feathered hat holds a clay pipe, his hand outstretched on a table on which are placed an oil lamp, a glass of beer, a shell, several metal boxes (?snuff, ?tobacco), and a recorder, only the lower half is visible showing four finger-holes, including paired offset holes for the lowermost digit.
Ceramic figure (17th century), ? German. Aachen: Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, AAsm). Includes a recorder. Not seen.
'If I have beer, tobacco, cheese and brandy wine, I will play with vivacity until late at night', etching, 17th century, German. Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Ngm - 908). Series of etchings on masquing themes, with instruments. At the right of the sheet is a recorder of alto/tenor size, with the above motto.
Painting on Music Room window shutters (17th century), German. Regensburg: Thurn und Taxis Zentralarchiv und Hofbibliothek. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Rtt - 11). A host of putti play many instruments, including two recorders. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Textile design, (16th or 17th century), embroidered linen, ? German. Brunswick: Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Inv. Spi 25. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, BSm - 547). Embroidered linen cover with two strips of lace, depicting two identical boys playing recorders. Not seen.
The Nativity (17th century), ink & watercolour on paper, 25 × 20 cm, German. Coburg: Kunstsammlungen der Veste, s.n. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Cv - 335). Primitive representation of the Nativity including angels in the clouds with music; singers with a songbook; a group of shepherds and angels at the left, one angel with a violin, one singing, another with a ? recorder. Not seen.
Untitled (17th century), drawing on paper, 48 × 32.5 cm, German. Coburg: Kunstsammlungen der Veste, s.n. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Cv - 343). A naked young man sits holding a small ? recorder in his outstretched hand. Not seen.
Musical Scene (17th century), ? German. Berlin: Archiv für Künst und Geschichte. Ref. CD cover: Thomas Morely … the First Booke of Ayres 1600, Telefunken, Das Alte Werk, Teldec LC 0366 (1970/1982, detail). A bearded man plays a theorbo; a younger man wearing a cuirass with his back to us plays a cello; A young boy plays duct-flute (probably a recorder, though the lower part of the instrument including the player's lowermost finger is hidden. Behind the boy, an elderly man nods off to sleep. To the right of the picture a woman looks at the musicians over her shoulder, somewhat disdainfully.
Allegory of Music, oil on paper, 20 × 16 cm, (17-18th century), German. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum, Inv. 2458. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, DÜk - 100). A primitive copy of an ? Italian original. A female figure representing Music holds a large lira da braccio. On the ground, are other instruments: bagpipes, cornett, recorder, shawm and trumpet as well as sheet music. Not seen.
Minerva and the Muses (17th century), ink, watercolour & gouache, 50.8 × 37.4 cm, German. Cologne: Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Inv. Z 225. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, KNwr - 228). At the source of the river Helicon to the right of the Castalian Fountain stand Minerva with her spear. To the left are the Muses: one with a small recorder in her hand, others playing lute, positive organ and violin, and one singing from a book. Fame hovers amongst the clouds above. In the foreground at the bottom left are a harp and a music book. Not seen.

Italian

Harpsichord fallboard (1602), painting, Italian. Detail. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, Inv. 1333. Ref. Website: Stearns Collection (2007 - col.) A harpsichord inscribed "Christoforus Rigunini, Firenze, A.D. 1602". There are a few interesting images on the painted case. On the inside of the fallboard is an image of three monks, one playing a slender pipe (possibly a recorder), another a violin, and the last singing. An image of a music book is painted above a stand for the performer’s actual music, and the inside of the case has an image of cherubs dancing while one plays a keyboard. An inscription along the board above the jacks has the Latin inscription "Corda mulcet tristia" – "It soothes sad hearts." This is the only instrument by Rigunini to have survived. It was purchased from Leopoldo Franciolini, a notorious forger of antique instruments. Thus it may not be authentic.
Inducing the Nightingales to Sing (a. 1622), engraving illustrating Giovanni Pietro Olina's Uccelliera, Italian. Location unknown: Sold by Heugel, Paris. Ref. Sale catalogue (detail); RIdIM (2000). Musicians play rather loud music for nightingales, including sackbut, viola da braccio, viol, lute, harpsichord or organ, cornett, harp and (in the background) a shawm band which includes an instrument which looks very like a basset or bass recorder with a bocal and a 'crowned' cap but which is more probably a sordun.
Virginal lid decoration (1629), 150 × 48.5 cm, Italian (Bolognese). Detail. Sydney: Power Museum. Before an elaborate fountain, female musicians play cello, flared recorder (window/labium visible, four fingers of lowermost hand covering their holes), hurdy-gurdy and harp; a couple may be dancing.
Cover illustration, from Anonymous MS Tutto il bisognevole per sonar il flauto da 8 fori con practica et orecchia, Venice, (1630). Venice: Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Cod. It. IV-486 (9838). Shows a fully baroque style 3-piece recorder in f' with baroque fingerings. Heyghen (1995: 27) suggests that this may be dated from much later (1680 or 1730).
Adoration of the Shepherds (1630s), oil on canvas, 228 × 164.5 cm, Italian (Neapolitan). London: National Gallery, NG232. Ref. Website: National Gallery, London (2006 - col.); Postcard: National Gallery (s. dat.: card 1204 - col.) Mary shows the Christ-Child to the shepherds who have brought a fowl, some bread and other produce. A young lad in the bottom right corner plays an ambiguous cylindrical pipe. In the right background is the Annunciation to the Shepherds. This painting has been variously attributed to Murillo, Velázquez and Zurbarán, and to various Neapolitan painters of the early 17th century. It is first recorded in Seville in the 1770s and may be the work of a Sevillian painter.
Programme for funeral of Monteverdi, title page & dedicatory poems (1644), signed 'I Decini'. Venice: St Mark's. Ref. Landon & Norwich (1991: 88). Includes a depiction of a flared- bell duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) with five finger-holes showing.
Dedicatory page: First book of Toccatas for Cembalo, Homage to Giralamo Frescobaldi (1637), engraving, Italian. Location unknown. Ref. Website: Lebrecht Music & Arts Photo Library (2007); Rye (2007: 53, fig.-b&w.). An oval portrait of Frescobaldi with a dedicatory verse beneath and a border compring putti and trophies of musical instruments. The latter include viol, organ pipes, shawms, bows, lysarden, and several pipes. One of the latter (top rhs) is clearly a recorder, the beak, window/labium and flared bell clearly depicted. Another on the opposite side appears to be a similar instrument viewed from behind, the beak depicted from the back.
Boy with a Flageolet (ca 1650), oil on canvas, 45 × 35 cm, Northern Italian. Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, A113 (WA 1851.12). Ref. Harrison et al. (2004 - col.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). A young lad half-turned towards us looks out obliquely out of the frame. He holds a one-piece flared-bell duct-flute, almost certainly a recorder, although the hole for the little finger of the lowermost (right) hand is turned away from us and thus out of view. It is somewhat reminiscent of an etching by Glairon-Mondet (op. 1786-1801/5) entitled Le Flûteur, said to represent a painting by Caravaggio from the Galerie du Palais Royal collection, dispersed in 1798. However, the boy in this painting wears a hat and different clothing; his face is angled slightly differently, and he does not look directly at the viewer as does the boy in the print. The fingers on the upper hand are also placed slightly differently. This portrait has been variously attributed to Caravaggio, Piazzetta, Neapolitan or Spanish 17th-century artists, Louis Finson and different French or Flemish followers of Caravaggio. The museum's catalogue (Harrison et al.) suggests that the subject of pensive musicians was expecially popular in the circles of Angelo Caroselli (1585-1652) and Michelangelo Cerquozzi (1601-1660). However, these artists were active in Rome rather than northern Italy. A copy of this work, said to be by an anonymous 18th-century French artist, is noted in the Gabrius OMP database (see below).
Putti with Musical Instruments (ca 1650), Italian (Genoese). Location unknown: Sotheby's (Amsterdam) Sale AM085, Old Masters Paintings, 14 May 2002, Lot 15 (sold). Ref. Sothebys' Sale AM0845, Catalogue (2002: Lot 15 - col.); Gabrius Databank (2007 - col.) Five putti play on and around a table on which lies a violin. One holds a bowl which he shows to a companion; one holds a pewter jug; and one plays a soprano renaissance-style recorder with his left hand, the top three holes remaining open. On another table in the foreground lie a tambourine (with jingle rings) and a vihuella or guitar lies on top of a book. A second recorder lies beside and slightly under the violin and bow, its finger-holes clearly visible, including that off-set for the lowermost finger. A cello stands in the corner behind the putto with the jug.
The Music Lesson (17th century), painting, Italian (Neapolitan). Location unknown: Auctioned 22 November 2005 (unsold). Ref. Gabrius Databank (2007 - col.) An old woman sings from a score held in one hand whilst she beats time with the other. She is accompanied by a young girl who plays a cylindrical, soprano-sized recorder, reading from music propped up against a table. The beak and window/labium of the recorder are clearly depicted, and the fingers disposed as for recorder player, with the little finger of the lowermost (right) hand covering its hole.
Still-life with Musical Instruments (17th century), North Italian. Location unknown: auctioned 18 December 2003 (unsold). Ref. Gabrius Databank (2007 - col.) On a table lie scattered a globe, a candlestick and candle, books, music, a cabinet, two lutes, a violin, a cello, a guitar and a soprano-sized recorder viewed end-on.
Title page: Secondo Armonia Sacra Di Vari Motetti D'Antonio La Greca … Libro Prima Opera, printed by Giuseppe Bisagni, Palermo (1657). Ref. Early Music 26 (3): 471, fig. 2 (b&w). There are a number of flared-bell recorders in trophies on the right and left of the central coat of arms.
Trompe l'Oeil with Pages of Music and Recorder (1677), 91 × 65 cm, Italian. Location unknown: Sold Drouot 22 October 1973, Salle 10. Mes Couturier, Nicolay, Cat. No. 11. Ref. Sale catalogue; Paris RIdIM (2000). Depicts a wooden panel with a small shelf on which stand a variety of objects including an artist's palette, brushes, a cup, a framed painting, and some sheets of music. Variously fastened to the panel above the shelf are a key, a drawing, a comb, an envelope, and a small flared-bell recorder, the window/labium and holes for seven fingers (including paired holes for the lowermost finger) are clearly visible.
Trophies (?ca 1670-1680), gilded wood, Italian. Venice: Santa Maria del Giglio [or 'Zobenigo'], decoration above organ pipes. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). At the top left of the central pair of trophies, two alto recorders with strongly curved beaks are behind a viola and lute. In the lower right of each of the central pairs is an alto recorder partly hidden by a roll of paper. The recorders are shown as one-piece without joints, but have baroque moulding between the mouthpiece and the window/labium and near the foot. There is a strong bell-flare and the bore end opening is wide. Two lower finger-holes are visible and two upper (only one upper on the right hand instrument). The organ case was designed by Vincezo Colombo. However, the festoons with musical instruments could possibly have been added later – they are stylistically mid-17th-century. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).
Balcony decoration (after 1693), Italian. Ragusa, Sicily: Palazzo La Rocca. A balcony is supported by three ornamental brackets. On each side are two heads; in the middle a man playing a basset-sized duct-flute, presumably a recorder, apparently blown via a bocal entering from the back of the head. This is reminiscent of the recorder-like instruments with extended blocks described by Stobart (1996) from Bolivia. Air to the windway is blown in from the side via a small mouthpiece. During the Renaissance, Sicily was part of the Kingdom of Aragon, so the Iberian connection is strong. This type of recorder may have persisted in Sicily until the period of the baroque rebuilding of Ragusa after the destruction of the 1693 earthquake. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).
Flute Player (early 17th century), Italian. London: Friedburg Collection. Ref. Waddingham (1958: 69); letter: Marijke C. de Kinkelder to Dr Herman Moeck (1997); Paris RIdIM (1999). A soulful young lad holds a slim cylindrical recorder, one of the offset little-finger-holes for the lowermost hand clearly visible. Formerly considered variously as a work by Michael Sweerts (1624-1664) or by Gerrit Willemsz. Horst, but now thought to be that of a hitherto unidentified Italian artist. There is another version of this in the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Brunswick.
Flute Player (early 17th century), oil on panel, 31 × 41 cm, Italian. Brunswick: Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Inv. No. 175. Ref. Advertisement for Moeck Instruments, Recorder & Music 5(11): 375 (1977) and elsewhere; letter: Marijke C. de Kinkelder to Dr Hermann Moeck (1997); Moeck, Celle: TIBIA – Musikbilder auf Postkarten, Series 7, Nr. 4, ed. Moeck Nr. 1107 (col.); Bildarchiv Foto Marburg (DISKUS-Objekt-Dokument 00011473 – b&w); Munich RIdIM (2009, BSm - 102). A soulful young lad holds a slim cylindrical recorder. Formerly considered variously as a work by Hendrick Terbrugghen or by Gerard Honthorst possibly after an original by Murillo, but now thought to be that of a hitherto unidentified Italian artist. There is another version of this in the Friedburg Collection, London.
Apollo as a Shepherd with a Flute (mid-17th century), Italian. Modena: Museo di Arte Medievale e Moderna, Inv. 61. Ref. De Marchi & Zeri (1997: 381 - col.); Paulo Biordi (pers. comm., 2002). A youthful shepherd in an orange-sleeved jacket and a fur jerkin plays a cylindrical duct-flute with a slightly flared bell. His fingers are clumsily arrayed showing one open finger-hole and another partially vented. The little finger of his lowermost (right) hand appears to be covering its hole, so this almost certainly represents a recorder.
Musicians, drawing, (? early 17th century), Italian (Bolognese). London: Victoria & Albert Museum. Ref. Visual Collection, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University, 372d.It117.90[m] (2002); Rasmussen (2002, Lute). "A woman plays a lute (it looks as though she is fingering a harmonic) and a man holds a recorder (pausing). A boy holds up a (music?) book. There is an unplayed violin/viola" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Allegory of Painting in a Wreath of Flowers AND Allegory of Music in a Wreath of Flowers (17th century), painting, Italian (Florentine). Location unknown: Auctioned by Tajan, 23 June 1999 (sold). Ref. Website: Gabrius DataBank, OMP (2002 - col.) Companion paintings. Painting is depicted as a young man with a pack on his back and a palette in his hand. Music is a young woman holding a recorder over her shoulder. Only the body and slightly flared foot of the instrument are visible, but the latter is very distinctive with a decorative bead. Two or three finger-holes are visible, but the lowermost are covered by Music's hand. Both figures are surrounded by flowers.
Floral Garlands with Musicians (17th century), oil on canvas, each 100 × 74 cm, Italian (Neopolitan School). London: Sotheby's Sale L0837: Old Master Paintings, Lot 269, 4 December 2008. Ref. Sotheby's Sale Catalogue LO837 (2008). A pendant pair depicting a male and female musician surrounded by floral garlands. In one, an elderly woman holds a tambourine (with jingle rings); in the other, a man holds a recorder, only the upper part of which is visible, the beak and window/labium clearly depicted.
St Cecilia (17th century), Italian (Bologna School). Termini Imerese (Palermo province), Sicily: Civic Museum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). St Cecilia plays the harpsichord with angels around; one sings, one plays cello and another angel on the left of the picture holds a slightly conical wind instrument to his left as he watches St Cecilia. The wind instrument is of alto/tenor size with a slight bell flare (wood thickening). It is played left hand uppermost, all fingers down. The right hand is held with the upper two fingers down but the lower two slightly lifted showing two holes beneath them, and lower down two further finger-holes are just discernable. This is possibly intended to represent a recorder.
Mercury and Argus (17th century), charcoal drawing, Italian. Ref. Warburg Institute, London (Halkham portfolio); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Mercury beheads the sleeping Argus with a sword held in his right hand. In his left hand he holds what appears to be a tenor-size recorder of cylindrical profile with a flared bell. Io (as a heifer) watches from one side.
Concerto, (17th century), Venetian School. Milan: Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. Depicts seven musicians – two singers, lute, viola or tenor viol, rebec, and two recorders. A young man at the bottom left plays a tenor recorder with fingers and thumb in characteristic playing position; the beak is clear, but the window/labium is uncertain; the bell is abruptly flared. An older man at the top right also plays a recorder the window/labium of which is clear; his left (upper) hand is in playing postion; the lower part of the (tenor or alto) instrument is hidden. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Apollo and Marsyas (17th century), Italian. Milan: Sforza Castle. Shows the head of a duct-flute (probably a recorder) with a very clear window/labium, but no more. At the bottom of the painting is a broken timbrel, a violin, a flute, and the scroll end of another violin. There is a viola behind the duct-flute. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Mercury and Argus (17th century), oil on canvas, 1143 × 1744 cm, Italian (Venetian). Caen: Museum of Fine Arts, Inv. 9. Ref. Joconde Website (1999). Depicts Mercury with a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder), Argus sleeping, and Io (whom Jupiter has turned into a heiffer). Formerly attributed to Bernardo Strozzi. Not seen.
Mercury, Argus and Io (17th century), embossed gold oval plate, 47 × 38.5 cm, Italian (Venice). Location unknown: exhibited as "Scene Champetre" at the Biennale des Antiquaires, Florence 1971, Casa d'Arte Anti ta' di Mazzoleni Gianfranco, Via Montenapoleone, 22, Milan. Ref. Catalogue (1971: 207, photo.); RIdIM (2000). A border of leaves and flowers surrounds what is clearly a scene depicting Argus lulled to sleep by Mercury who plays a cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder, though he plays one-handed), watched by Io (whom Jupiter has turned into a heiffer).
Bacchanal (17th century), Italian. Berlin: Kupferstichkabinett (West). Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Bkk - 586). Satyrs and nymphs indulge themselves in an orgy of eating, drinking and lust. One of the nymphs plays a lute; a small child plays a flared-bell recorder, another eats a bunch of grapes. The erotic symbolism of the two instruments is clear enough.
Polyphemus (17th century), Italian. Berlin: Gemäldegalerie, 1809. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Bgd - 64). The Cyclops Polyphemus sits with his feet in the harbour full of (comparatively) little boats, playing a flared-bell recorder to the nymph Galatea who sits on an island. The mouthpiece of the recorder appears to be covered with a metal sleeve.
Musical Angels (17th century), oil on panel, left panel 71 × 50 cm, right panel 73 × 48.5 cm, Italian (Florentine). Location unknown: auctioned Sotheby's (Milan), Sale MI0220, Old Master Paintings, 2 December 2003, Lot 10 (unsold); auctioned & 01/06/2004 (unsold). Ref. Sotheby's Sale MI0220, Catalogue Old Masters Paintings (2003: Lot 10); Gabrius Databank (2007 - col.) Two irregularly octagonal panels. On the left an angel plays violin; on the right a winged putto plays a very slightly conical recorder. The window/labium is clearly visible and the players hands well disposed for recorder playing.
Still-life with Flowers, Apples, Figs, Fowl and Musical Instruments (17th century), Italian (Lombard). Location unknown: auctioned Sotheby's (Milan), Sale MI0220, Old Master Paintings, 2 December 2003, Lot 115 (unsold). Ref. Sotheby's Sale MI0220, Catalogue Old Masters Paintings (2003: Lot 115); Gabrius Databank (2007 - col.) On the ground are scattered an elaborate desk with shelves and drawers; two vases of wilting flowers; an owl (on an elaborate perch), a peacock and a guinea-hen; figs and apples; a book; a lute, and an alto-sized renaissance-style recorder with a slightly flared bell. A fourth bird sits in a tree to the right. A town can be seen in the background.
Study of Three Children, oil on panel, 27.5 × 41 cm, Italian (Lombardy). Private Collection. Ref. Sotheby's (London), Old Masters Paintings Day Sale, L09634, 9 July 2009, Lot 149. Heads of three boys, one playing a duct-flute (probably a recorder) of which the beak and window/labium are clearly depicted. Only the upper part of the instrument can be seen.
Mercury and Argus (late 17th century), Italian (Genovese). Milan: Ambrosiana Art Gallery. Mercury holds a small duct-flute (seen obliquely from below), the mouthpiece and offset little finger-hole of which are shown. The bell is considerably flared. Mercury has lulled Argus to sleep, and with the recorder in his left hands draws his dagger from behind him with his right. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.) The same subject -- always showing Mercury (Hermes) with a recorder – was painted by other artists including Jacob van Campen, Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Claude Gellée, Jacob I. Jordaens (Melbourne), Johann Carl Loth, Pier Francesco Mola, Nicolas Poussin, Salvator Rosa, Sir Peter Paul Rubens, and Anon. (Caen).
Woodcarved, gilded angels, (17th century), Italian. Parma: Palazzo della Pilotta (National Gallery). The angel at the top, centre holds a viol at each side, with two others behind. On the right is a shawm and two flutes. On the left is a bow, a cornett and a very clear recorder the beak and window/labium of which are clearly shown, though the lower part is hidden. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Plaster decoration (17th century), Italian. Cremona: Cathedral, Chapel of St Ombono Tucenghi (N of high altar). On the top left. of the pillar on the right a transverse flute and a duct-flute are crossed and tied with a ribbon. The mouthpiece and window of the duct-flute are clearly depicted, but the lower part is covered by the windings of the ribbon which also covers the lower part of the flute. The Chapel on the S side of the high altar contains many carvings on pilasters, but no clear duct-flute. One instrument divides into two halves with two holes in each section. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Title page: Nuova Pifferata del Valorosa Barba Pedana by Antonio Baolino, published by Bartolomeo Cochi, Bologna (17th century). Venice: Biblioteca Nazionale (Marciana), Misc. 2183. 5 Ref. Il Flauto Dolce 7: 19 (1976); Archiv Moeck; Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A smiling man in a feathered hat holds a cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) of which the bottom five finger-holes are visible.
Putti Musicians (17th century), canvas, 91.5 × 67 cm, school of Caravaggio, Italian. Location unknown: offered for sale, Marc-Arthur Kohn – Druout, Montaigne, Thursday 29 April, 1998. Ref. Sale catalogue; Paris RIdIM (2000). Three putti play musical instruments, one a ? cornett, one a violin and one (centre) a pipe. The latter widens markedly towards the bell, and three finger-holes are visible; but there is no sign of a windway-labium. The context suggests a duct-flute rather than a shawm.
Young Musicians (17th century), oil on canvas, Italian. Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) Three children stand in a close circle. One (with his back to us) plays a cylindrical pipe, the first three fingers of his uppermost (right) hand and the second and third fingers of his lowermost hand covering their holes. His lowermost little finger is held very high and its open hole is clearly visible, thus this may represent a recorder, though details of the beak and window/labium are not visible.
Le Zephir (17th century), canvas, 76.5 × 64.5 cm, school of Bologna. Location unknown: sold Palais des Congres, Versailles, 24-25 November 1968, Catl. No. 115. Ref. Sale catalogue; RIdIM (2000). A youthful figure with a winged helmet (surely Mercury rather than Le Zephir) holds a cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder), only upper half of which is visible including a clear window/labium.
The Concert (17th century), canvas, 81.5 × 72 cm, school of Genoa. Location unknown: sold Marc Arthur Kohn – Druout, Richelieu, Salles 5 & 6, Thursday 6 July 1995. Ref. Sale catalogue; Paris RIdIM (2000). A man plays with his back to us, wearing a jacket with slashed sleeves and an elaborate slashed collar as well as a feathered hat, plays a guitar whilst a young woman sings from a sheet of music; they are accompanied by a very young boy who plays a slender, cylindrical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) the window/labium and three lower finger-holes of which are clearly depicted.
Family of Satyrs (16-17th century), red ink on paper, 29.2 × 39.9 cm, ? Italian. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum, Inv. FP 10173. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Dük - 647). A recumbent satyr blows on a syrinx. In the back of his coat he has a recorder. Not seen.
Mercury and Argus (17th century), ink and brown wash on paper, 14.6 × 12.2 cm, Italian. Berlin: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Inv. No. 295-1844. Ref. Bildarchiv Foto Marburg (2002: DISKUS-Objekt-Dokument 02020940 – b&w). Argus plays a conical pipe (possibly a recorder) to a drowsly Argus, watched by Io (as a heifer).
Claudio Monteverdi with Musicians (17th century), Italian or Flemish. Bergamo: Antiquario Attilio Rossi. Ref. Santano (1968); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Four well-dressed musicians (two with ruffs, two with lace collars) stand behind a table, one holds a cello. On the table a small dog stands on top of a heap of instruments and music. There is a trumpet, a violin, a shawm and a flared-bell alto recorder of which the beak, window/labium, and bottom four finger-holes are visible, the centre of the body being covered by an open music book. Lying across the shawm is a smaller soprano recorder of similar construction. Despite the title and date given above, the costume of the four men looks decidedly Flemish rather than Italian.
Allegory of Music (17th century), oil on canvas, Italian (Venetian). Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002-col.) A young woman viewed three-quarter-length, turns towards us holding a slender cylindrical pipe as if about to play it. There may be the hint of a window/labium near the player's mouth, but this could represent the embouchure hole of a flute. However, all fingers of the player's lowermost (right) hand are covering their holes and the little finger appears to be covering an offset hole, which makes a recorder more likely. The first two fingers of the uppermost hand are covering their holes with the third finger elevated and the little finger lifted very high.
Still-life with Musical Instruments (late 17th century), oil on canvas, 102 × 128 cm, Italian (Bergamo). Milan: Private Collection; offered for sale by Bigli (2003). Ref. Bigli Art Broker (2003 - col.); Website: flautotaverso.it (2007 - col.) Beneath a drape, a harp leans against a table on which are music scores, a basket of flowers, a violin, a guitar, and two recorders tapering, flared-bell recorders of soprano and alto size. Behind, on a shelf are two mable spheres, books, and an ink-well.
Landscape with Shepherds and Cattle (late 17th century), oil on canvas, 49 × 64 cm, Italian. Stockholm: Nationalmuseum, NM 63. Ref. RIdIM, Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Watched by their sheep, two shepherds amuse themselves. One, standing beneath a tree, plays a conical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder), the hand position (right hand uppermost) suggests a recorder, but no finger-holes are visible. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Recorder (17th century), white marble sculpture, Italian. Modena: Galleria Estense. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). "An actual recorder, cantus size, but made of exquisitely dappled brown and white marble. It looks real but is almost certainly unplayable. There are six finger-holes in line and one well offset to the player's right. It has considerable bore flare, reflected in the external bell flare (no thickening). The windway and window/labium are perfectly formed. There is a crack at finger-hole four and another between holes one and two. The museum also posseses splendid and realistic replicas of a guitar in black and white layered Carrara marble; and a marble violin complete with its strings – but no bow!" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.) Note that there is a fully functional baroque style recorder made of white marble in the collection of the Cité de la Musique, Paris (E.652), a unique instrument.
Carved wood frieze (17th century), Italian. Rome: San Andrea in Valle, balcony of organ gallery. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Frolicking putti and crossed-instrument decorations, including at centre a shawm crossed with a ? recorder behind panpipes. Only part of the head and bell end of the alto/tenor ? recorder are visible. It has a longish beaked mouthpiece and a hole representing the window/labium. The bell end is fairly wide; no finger-holes are visible. The carver is unknown. The church as a whole was designed by Carlo Maderno and decorated by Domenichino.
Singer with Recorder, oil on canvas, 102 × 73 cm, imitator of Giorgione (17th century). Rome: Galleria Borghese, Inv. 130. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). A half-length of a singer holding a tenor recorder in his left hand, upright (the instrument runs vertically down the left side of the painting). You can only see as far as the fifth finger-hole as the rest of the instrument is hidden by the singer's hand and sleeve across the bottom of the picture, but the beaked mouthpiece, and window/labium are unmistakable. The recorder is cylindrical up to the point where it becomes hidden.
Assumption of Mary (17th century), ink, pencil & watercolour on paper, 15 & 21.8 cm, Italian. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum, Inv. FP 217. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, DÜk - 500). Copy of a painting in Dresden. Mary is accompanied by angels who sing and play violin and recorder. Not seen.
Allegory of Music (17th century), ink & watercolour on paper, 11 × 14.9 cm, Italian. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum, Inv. FP 762. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, DÜk - 507). A garlanded woman holds in her outstretched left hand a sheet of music. In her right hand is a double flute or Aulos. On the ground lies a syrinx and a shawm or recorder. Not seen.
Seated Woman with a Recorder and a Tambourine (late 17th century), drawing on paper, Italian. Paris: Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts Graphiques, Inv. 16408, Recto. A woman half-reclining plays a tambourine (with jingle rings). On the ground by her side lies a slightly flared duct-flute, probably a recorder.
Man Playing a Flute Leaning Against a Wall

Portuguese

Ceiling decoration (1676), fresco, Portugal. Óbidos: Igreja de Santa Maria, Oratório Nossa Senhora da Piedade. Ref. Webpage: Dulcian Iconography (2008 - col.) Putti play all manner of musical instruments, including dulcian, flute, lute, and ? guitar. No less than six of them play vertically held wind instruments, four of which may represent recorders.

Russian

Nativity, icon, (late 17th century), Russian. Trier: Diocesan Museum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Fourth in a series of icons recently bequeathed to the museum by Bishop Gerhard Jacob. A "Nativity in standard Greek Orthodox format with annunciation to the shepherds at the upper right. A standing sheherd has a long pipe (tenor size or more) at his lips, at an angle of about 40° down, supported near the bell end with his right hand (he holds up his left hand in salutation). The pipe, which has no visible details, is very slightly conical, with no flare, but the bore exit holes is mall (wood thickening). The player's lips are too relaxed for shawm or cornett playing, so this is likely to represent a duct-flute" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)

Swedish

Putto Making Music (17th century), wood-carving on pew, Swedish. Markim: Church, Choir. Ref. RIdIM, Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A man stands on a plinth playing an ambiguous pipe (cornett, shawm or duct-flute), the bottom part of which is destroyed. The mouthpiece is flat with no beak and the lips are held together so this could be a shawm. However, there is an incisions below the mouthpiece almost certainly represent the window/labium of a duct-flute. The body is wide and cylindrical. This could easily be a recorder. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Flute Player in Oriental Costume, gouache and water colour, oval: 10 × 8 cm (late 17th century). Stockholm: Nationalmuseum, Dahlgrens Collection, No. 1588. Ref. RIdIM, Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. com, 2000). A man sits, holding in one hand an open music score, in the other a clearly depicted ivory alto recorder with decorative incisions above the window/labium, three above and three below, paired little finger-holes near the flared bell end, and two groups of incised rings below the bottom the lowermost finger-holes. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)

Swiss

Allegory of Foreign Military Service (1623), stained glass roundel, Swiss. Zürich: Schweizerischen Landesmuseums, LM 20548. Ref. Schneider (1971, 2: no. 521); Rasmussen (2002, Lute). "Includes, among the attributes of 'Voluptas', a harp, a lute and a ? recorder" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
Green enamelled stove (? late 17th century), Swiss. Geneva: Musée de l'art et histoire. Ref. Jan Bouterse to Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Made in Winterthur, originally from Schloss Zizerts. The walls of the stove are decorated with women playing musical instruments including lute, transverse flute, organ, and a pipe which could be an oboe but seems more likely to represent a late baroque-style tenor recorder with its characteristic curved beak, fontanelle and strongly flared bell. Thick enamelled metal is a poor medium for detailing.

Provenance unknown

Lady in Landscape with Castle, Flowers, Animals, etc. (ca 1650), embroidered textile, 27 × 30 cm, artist & provenance unknown. Cambridge: Storm Fine Arts (for sale, 2007). A lady in landscape with with a castle, surrounded by flowers, animals, a man with a hunting horn, a man milking a cow, and a man playing a flared-bell pipe (possibly a recorder) with a dancing dog.
[Unknown] (? 17th century). Ref. Record Cover: English Recorder Music, Hans Martin Linde (recorder), Ragossnig (lute), Scheidegger (viol), EMI Digital LP 27 0404 1. A female singer is accompanied by musicians playing violin, lute, viol and a young boy playing a small cylindrical duct-flute (probably a recorder since the thumb position is shown in profile), only the upper part of which is visible.
Trophy, print (?17th century). Ref. CD Catalogue, Dorchester, Dorset (Summer 2001: 2, fig.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pes. comm., 2001). An open music score with lute, violin, trumpets and/or shawms and a baroque-style recorder with its characteristically curved beak and turnings.
Decorated cittern rose (17th century), carved wood, ? artist and/or provenance. ? Location: "Will Yeoman's cittern" (Bergmann). Ref. Musika Calendar, Bärenreiter, Kassel (1978: cover & pl. 17); Fulbourne: Walter Bergmann Slide WB 33 & WB 95 (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm., 2002 & 2005). At the centre of the rose is the sun around which are arranged musical instruments, including three horns, two viols, two citterns, two oboes and a 3-piece baroque recorder with a very wide bell.

18th Century

Austrian

Trophies (17th or 18th century), plaster reliefs, Austrian. Amerbach: Schloss. Ref. Walter Bergmann, Slide Collection WB 65 (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers.comm. 2005 - col.) On the front of a balcony are three trophies, each in its own panel. The two outer ones are identical; each depicts a baroque recorder crossed with an oboe, some sheet music, a tassle and some foliage. The inner panel depicts a wreath.
Flute-playing Boy (ca 1765-1774), porcelain figurine, 14 cm high, Austrian. Lund: Kulturhisoriska museet for Sodra Sverige, KM 60.42. Ref. RIdIM, Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (2000). A boy sits on a tree stump holding a pipe one-handed. The lower half is broken off; three holes are visible above the hand that grips the instrument; there is no window/labium; the mouthpiece shape is indefinite. This is too uncertain to identify, other than by the title. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Man with a Flute (ca 1770), porcelain figurine, 14 cm high, Austrian Graz: Landesmuseum Joanneum, Inv. 2062. Ref. RIdIM Innsbruck 546 (2001); Prof. Tilman Seebass (pers. comm., 2001). A man plays a recorder.
Carving (ca 1790), 4.8 × 11 cm, Austrian. Graz: Landesmuseum Joanneum, Inv. 20610. Ref. RIdIM Innsbruck 164 (2001); Prof. Tilman Seebass (pers. comm., 2001). A hare with a recorder and a hare with a plate.
Court Musicians (ca 1790), Austrian. Ref. Schmidt (1974); Musica calendar (1979: November - col.); Rasmussen (Horn, 2003). "They play double bass, recorder pausing and grimacing, while the enraged conductor pulls his hair), oboe, trumpet and two coiled horns (hands in bells?)" (Rasmussen, loc.cit.) A caricature – not seen.
Pastoral Scene (late 18th century), oil on canvas, Austrian. Graz: Schloß Eggenberg. Ref. RIdIM Innsbruck 596 (2001); Prof. Tilman Seebass (pers. comm., 2001). A shepherd dances to music played on hammered dulcimer by a woman and recorder played by a man.

Czech

Engraved glass (ca 1730), ? Czech. Ref. Stanislaw & Volek (1977: 181); Archiv Moeck. Musicians play cello, waldhorns, harpsichord and a turned three-piece baroque alto recorder.

Dutch

Comedia dell'Arte: Two Harlequins (ca 1720), engraving, Dutch. Detail: Bass recorder player. Den Haag: Gemeentesmuseum, Music Department. Ref. Heinz Amman, Blockflötenbauer, Catalogue (1998 - col.); Archiv Moeck; Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000); Anthony Rowland Jones (pers. comm., 2001). One of a set of three engravings. A harlequin plays a baroque bass recorder with a bocal; opposite him, another harlequin plays a baroque tenor recorder. A note on a copy of this plate in Archiv Moeck (Celle) lists another from the same source featuring an alphorn and a recorder.
Brown Delft tile, (ca 1757), Dutch. Munich: Nymphenburg Palace, Amalienburg Hunting Lodge, kitchen (N and W walls). Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999). Winged putti sing and play cello, lute, violin, small kettle drums, and a pipe (possibly a recorder).
Organ case (ca 1760), wood carving, Dutch. Dordrecht: Cathedral. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). The original organ was made in 1671 but the casing was renewed ca 1760. The designer and wood-carver are not known. The organ mechanism was totally renewed in 1859 by Kam & Van der Meulen at which time the casing was probably renovated but not changed. Beneath the positive organ is a carved facade with many garlands of musical instruments including violin, lute, flute, oboe, horn and a perfectly depicted baroque recorder.
Flute Player, (18th century), oil on canvas, Dutch. Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - b&w). A young man in a feathered cap holds a cylindrical soprano recorder with a very slightly flared bell. Auctioned 20 January 1993 (Gabrius, loc. cit.)
Vanitas, (18th century), oil on canvas, Dutch. Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2001 - b&w). On a draped table lie a celestial globe, a skull, books, a candlestick and candle, a violin and a renaissance-style cylindical recorder only the lower part of which is visible showing seven-finger-holes, including that for the little finger of the lowermost hand offset. Behind stands the body of a viol, the neck leaning separately against it. Auctioned 8 October 1993 (Gabrius, loc. cit.)
Trophy with Musical Instruments (1780-1799), oil on canvas, 31 × 224 cm, Dutch. Netherlands: Private Collection. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistoriche Documentatie 70289 (2010-col.) A very long straight trumpet, a lute, and a well-depicted baroque recorder are crossed with a music-book. A tambourine with jingle rings and pellet bells) hangs below.

English

Recorder Player and Women (late 17th or early 18th century), needlework panel of linen and cotton, plain weave, embroidered with wool yarns in short, long, outline, and satin stiches with French knots; 205.6 × 132 cm, English. Chicago: Art Institute, 1967.666. Ref. Ford (1987: #155). "A man plays a recorder for four women, one of whom plays a tambourine and dances" (Ford, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Title page, George Frideric Handel, Rinaldo (after 1711), published by John Walsh, London. London: British Museum. Ref. Fraenkel (1968: pl. 154); Warwick (1968: 81, pl. - b&w). A trophy of musical instruments at the top of the page depict a one-piece baroque recorder with a bulbous head showing six finger-holes (the foot is hidden) and a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) side profile. At the bottom another trophy includes a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) in side profile with a bulbous head-joint and foot. Walsh used the same compartment for the title of later Handel operas, for Acis and Galatea, and for publications by J.E. Gaillard (see below).
Musical Trophy (1701), plaster ceiling centrepiece, English. Great Torrington (Devon): 28 South Street, dining room. Ref. Landmark Trust, Newsletter (2007: Spring); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). The house was built in 1701 by Giles Cawsey, a merchant and Town Clerk and is now a Landmark Trust poperty. Many musical instruments are arranged in a garland beneath a centrally placed viola and bow. They include violins, lutes, bassoon, trumpet, oboes, jew's harp, and as many as seven recorders. Interestingly, there are no transverse flutes – they were not popular in England in 1701.
Title page: Songs in the Opera of Calypso & Telemachus … by J.E. Galliard (1712), engraving, English. Ref. Blume (1949-1963: 4: 1283-1284); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A festoon of instruments at the bottom of the page includes lute, straight trumpets, violin, and a baroque recorder. Identical to Gaillard's Six English Cantatas after the Italian Manner (see below) and Handel's Rinaldo and Acis and Galatea (see above).
Title page: Six English Cantatas after the Italian Manner by J.E. Gaillard, engraving, English. London: Christies, auctioned 21 November 1983. Ref. Early Music 10(2): 233 (1982). A festoon of instruments at the bottom of the page includes lute, straight trumpets, violin, and a baroque recorder. Identical to Gaillard's Songs in the Opera of Calypso & Telemachus … (see above).
Title page: A Compleat Method for Attaining to Play a Thorough Bass upon either Organ, Harpsichord, Theorbo (1717), Godfrey Keller (d. 1704), published by Richard Meares, London, engraving, English. London: British Museum. Ref. Blume, (1949-1963, 7: 807-808); Fraenkel (1968: pl. 146); American Recorder 32(2): 15 (1991); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A panel above the title panel depicts Music playing an organ whilst two angel-putti crown her with a wreath. Decorative festoons of musical instruments include trumpets, viols, violin, timpani, guitar, and a tenor-sized three-piece baroque recorder. A later edition was published in 1707.
Title page, G.F. Handel, Tamerlane (ca 1720), engraving, London. Ref. Early Music 10(2): 231 (1982). An engraving clearly based on Pierre Mignard's St Cecilia playing the Harp (1691), which includes a baroque recorder with harp, organ, viol, oboe, timbrel, and trumpets. The same engraving was used for the title page of Handel's Scipio.
Musical Trophy (1720s), woodcarving, English. Stockport: Lyme Park, Saloon, west wall. Ref. Sayce & Esterley (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (2005b: 35-41, fig. 2-b&w); Lasocki (2006). An intricately carved musical trophy with flowers, doves, music books, a medalion, and four baroque-style recorders. None of the recorders is wholly visible. Two show only the foot and body; two show only the head. One of the latter is seen only in the shadows (just above the right hand dove). One of the recorders has an unusually large finger-hole 5, a feature it shares with a single 18th-century recorder, namely an alto by J.B. Ghan. Although long family tradition has attributed the carvings at Lyme Hall to Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721), Sayce & Esterley (loc. cit.) suggest that they are the work of a skilled pasticheur, probably working in the 1720s.
Musical Trophy (1720s), woodcarving, English. Stockport: Lyme Park, Saloon, west wall, facing the windows. Ref. Sayce & Esterley (2000); Rowland-Jones (2005b: 37-41, figs. 4 & 5 - b&w); Lasocki (2006: 14). Includes two equally playable oboes but, tucked underneath them and emerging at a slightly oblique angle from the base of the trophy, is a brilliantly carved soprano recorder – all except the head section, so seven finger-holes, all in line, like those on the altos, are just visible. The design of the foot is exactly like those of the recorders in the adjacent trophy in the Saloon. Although long family tradition has attributed the carvings at Lyme Hall to Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721), Sayce & Esterley (loc. cit.) suggest that they are the work of a skilled pasticheur, probably working in the 1720s.
Recorder Player, from Anonymous The Compleat Tutor for the Flute, London (1750), engraving. Ref. Möhlmeier & Thouvenot (2002). A gentleman in a coat and wig plays a turned three-piece baroque alto recorder on a balcony.
Still-life (1750-1799), English. Location unknown. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie 20890 (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Still-life with a viol, a perfectly depicted baroque recorder, a music book, medals, crockery, and a book on an oriental tablecloth.
Shepherd and Shepherdess (ca 1755), Chelsea porcelain figurines, 16.5 cm high, English. New York: Christie's, European Furniture, Decorative Arts, Ceramics and Silver, 18 December 2001, Lot 476. Ref. Artfacts (2004). Red and brown anchor marks at backs He leaning against a flower-encrusted tree-stump playing the recorder, a hound at his feet; she standing and holding a posy, a lamb at her feet.
Flute Player (ca 1756), porcelain group, Chelsea. London: Victoria and Albert Museum. Ref. National Art Collections Report (1974); Warburg Institute. Two Oriental men in floral robes dance. A young woman holds a small duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) as if pausing momentarily in her playing.
Recorder Player, from Anonymous The Compleat Tutor for the Flute, London (1757-1761), engraving. Ref. Archiv Moeck. A gentleman in coat and cap plays a turned three-piece baroque alto recorder on a balcony.
Shepherd and Shepherdess (ca 1763), 2 Chelsea porcelain figurines, 16.5 cm high, English. New York: Christie's, British Interiors, 24 January 2001, Lot 208. Brown anchor mark to the back of the shepherd, puce mark to the back of the shepherdess. He standing and leaning in contraposto against a forget-me-not encrusted tree stump playing the recorder his dog at his feet; she standing and holding a posey in her right hand, her left hand holding up an apron filled with flowers, a lamb at her feet.
Shepherd and Shepherdess (ca 1763), two Chelsea porcelain figurines, 16.5 cm high, England. New York: Christies, European Furniture, Works of Art, Ceramics and Carpets, 23 May 2001, Lot 186. Ref. Artfact (2004). Anchor marks at backs He leaning against a forget-me-not encrusted tree-stump playing the recorder, his dog at his feet; she standing and holding a posy, a lamb at her feet.
Snuff-box (ca 1770), English (Staffordshire). Ref. Drury (1986: 196, fig.); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). The decoration includes a piping shepherd seated on a rock surrounded by sheep. The instrument is not clear from the small illustration, but it could represent a tenor recorder, with a bell flare, played right-hand lowermost in good recorder-playing position. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
A Gallant and Companion by a Fountain (1780), Derby porcelain figurine, 30 cm high, English. London: Christie's, 8 November 1999, Lot 57. Ref. Artfact (2004). Incised No. 12. He standing playing a recorder, a dog at his feet, she asleep on the ground before him with a sheep at her side, the fountain modelled as dolphin spouting water falling into tiered shell-shaped basins beneath an urn on a plinth, on a rockwork base applied with flowers and foliage, enriched in colours and gilding (she with neck restored, one waterspout to fountain repaired, other chips). See Twitchett (1980: 114, pl. 116) for another example; also Bradshaw (1990: 178, fig. 136).
Musician Playing a Recorder and a Tambourine, Derby porcelain figurine, English. New York: Christie's, European Furniture & Decorative Arts Including Ceramics, 26 January 2000, Lot 101. Ref. Artfact (2004). One of four figurines auctioned in this lot. A musician, playing a recorder and a tambourine.
Frontispiece: A Book of New Songs after the Italian Manner … composed by Mr John Reading (18th century), English. Ref. Blume (1949-1963, 11: 75-76); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A decorative border includes two angel-putti blowing trumpets and (at the bottom) a festoon of musical instruments including violins, guitar, three oboes, a lyre and two three-piece, baroque recorders with decorative turnings, one a soprano and the other an alto instrument.
Musical Wallpaper Panel (18th century), 190 × 144.1 cm, English. Chicago: Art Institute, 1932.1453. Ref. Ford (1987: #152). "Shows harp, flute, folded trumpet, drum, and recorders as well as other wind and string instruments" (Ford, loc. cit.)
Organ case: Ornamental Trophy (18th century), carved wood, English. Oxford: New College. Ref. Mathew Rowland-Jones ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2005). A large ornamental trophy sitting above the case of a small chamber organ comprising a lyre, trumpet and two horns crossed by a recorder (left) and flute (right) respectively. The recorder is a perfect replica of a three-piece baroque style instrument. The chest beneath the keyboard is faced with three panels depicting three female figures singing and playing lute and flute. This instrument, formerly owned by Thurston Dart, is on loan to New College from the Bate Collection on Musical Instruments, Oxford.
Cupid Playing a Flute (18th century), carved boxwood door panel, English. Wimborne Minster (Dorset): Kingston Lacy. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library (2002: Image ID USB 178227 - col.) A winged Cupid plays a flared duct-flute, probably a recorder. The window/labium is clearly depicted, and the little finger of the players' lowermost (right) hand appears to be covering its finger-hole.
The Prodigal Son (18th century), tapestry, ? English. Chatsworth House (Derbyshire): Devonshire Collection. Ref. Michael Fleming ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2006). Amongst the musicians is a young man who looks as though he is playing a recorder rather than an oboe as his lips are relaxed. But little of the instrument is visible.

Flemish

Still-life with Fruits, Lobster and Musical Instruments (17-18th century), oil on canvas, 73 x 104 cm, Flemish. Offered for auction by Ketterer-Kunst, Hamburg, ? date, Lot 74. Two bowls of fruit and lobsters stand on a table with some glassware, a violin, some music, and what looks like the foot of a small flared-bell recorder.
Harpsichord decoration: outer lid (ca 1730-1750), 225.0 × 81.5 cm, Flemish. Paris: Musée de la Musique, Inv. E.979.2.1; photograph 23610 -col. Ref. Recorder & Music 4(9): cover (1974). This harpsichord, originally made by Andreas II Ruckers, Anvers (1646), was rebuilt by Pascal-Joseph Taskin, Paris (1780). The inside of the lid was repainted at this time, but the other decorations appear to have been done some 30-50 years earlier. This section of the decoration features fruit and flowers on a white background, including pomegranates. In the central section is an open music book with music, probably French (? 1720-1740), partly obscuring a perfectly depicted baroque alto recorder. Five of the finger-holes are visible and the bell end with turnery and bell flare. The bore opening appears to be quite small. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.) Many other musical instruments on depicted on this harpsichord.
Wall decoration (ca 1750), carved wooden panel, Flemish. Liège: Palais de Justice, Salle du conseil de l'ordre des avocats, South wall. Ref. Institute Royal du Patrimonie Artistique / Koninklijk Instituut voor hef Kunstpatrimonium (IRPA/KIK), Brussels (2007). A complex swag comprising three trophies surmounted by figures playing triangle and cello. In the first trophy a lyre is crossed with a clearly depicted baroque recorder; in the second, a lute is crossed with a violin; in the third, a violin and bow are crossed with an oboe. Other decorative swags in this room depict transverse flute, trumpet, horn, bagpipe, pipes, bassoon, marine trumpet, frame harp, harp, drum, rebec, oboe, etc., etc.
The Pipe Lesson (ca 1770), oil on canvas, 136 × 106.5 cm, Flemish. Liège: Hôtel de Grady, one of two panels above the dining room door. Ref. Institute Royal du Patrimonie Artistique / Koninklijk Instituut voor hef Kunstpatrimonium (IRPA/KIK), Brussels (2007). On the edge of a forest, beside a stream, a young man teaches a young woman to play a duct-flute, probably a recorder. In a variation on an old theme, she blows and fingers the top holes; he fingers the lowermost holes. In the foreground are sheep. In the background, partly hidden by some trees, an old woman peers at the young couple.
Mythological Scene, tapestry, 326 × 243 cm, Flemish. Stuttgart: Württenbergisches Landesmuseum, Inv. 9383/23 WLM. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2003, Slm - 11). In the left foreground are three female figures (Graces). One stretches out her arms in alarm, while another trys to calm her. In the latter's lap is a cello the bow of which lies on the ground with a little harp as well as a recorder, some music, and a notebook. In the background is Mt Helicon with Pegasus and Hippocrene from whom the three women are departing.
Vanitas (18th century), on wood, 65.5 × 5.35 cm, Flemish. Bruges: Burgerlijke Godshuizen Museum. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). On a table in an alcove a bust of a naked woman (with her hair twined about her head in plaits) watches over a jumble which includes a candle in its holder, a book, an animal and a human skull (with a twist of oaten hay mirroring the hair of the bust), books, a crumpled score, an hourglass, and a recorder only the upper part of which is visible showing three finger-holes.
Still-life (18th century), Flemish. Brussels: Bornem-Abbaye Saint Bernard. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A jumble of objects on a table, including a book, money, a picture, some music, a distorted (?anamorphic) skull, a violin, a candlestick and the head of a duct-flute (probably a recorder) with an unusually long beak.
Amours Musiciens (18th century), on the back of a door, Flemish. Château de Heks: bedroom of the Prince, Heers, B. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). Three cherubs on a cloud play timpani, timbrel and an ambiguous pipe which lacks any detail of finger-holes, etc. It may be a recorder.
Piper (18th century), oil on canvas, 76.5 × 57.5 cm, Flemish (18th century) Awirs: Château d'Aigremont [museum], beside the door to the first floor. Ref. Institute Royal du Patrimonie Artistique / Koninklijk Instituut voor hef Kunstpatrimonium (IRPA/KIK), Brussels (2007). A young lad wearing a laurel crown and a smile holds a small cylindrical recorder. The window/labium is clearly visible and the fingers of the bottom hand all cover their holes.
Allegory of Pastoral Poetry (18th century), oil on canvas, 117 × 92 cm, Flemish. Mons: Office des Contributions. Ref. Institute Royal du Patrimonie Artistique / Koninklijk Instituut voor hef Kunstpatrimonium (IRPA/KIK), Brussels (2007). Near a clearing in the forest, a young woman sits beside a stream playing a slender, cylindrical pipe, watched by her sheep.
Carved oak doors (18th century), Flemish. Malmédy: Maison, Place du Marché, 21. Ref. Institute Royal du Patrimonie Artistique / Koninklijk Instituut voor hef Kunstpatrimonium (IRPA/KIK), Brussels (2007). One of six carved trophies on these doors comprises two crossed baroque recorders.
Musical Trophies (early 18th century), carved wooden trophies, Flemish. Geel: St Amanduskerk, organ case. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) The organ in this church is heavily decorated with music-making angels. Statues of winged putti and angels sing and play bassoons, lute, flute, violin and straight trumpets. King David plays the harp, and St Cecila plays an organetto. Wings on each side of the organ are in the form of elaborate trophies of musical instruments. That on the left includes lute, oboes, flutes, shawms, violin, cornetto, and a baroque style recorder of which only the head is visible. That on the right includes oboes, flutes, lute, violin, cornetto, shawms, folded trumpet, and a perfectly depicted baroque recorder. The church was built from 1489-1547; the organ is early 18th-century.

French

Dancing Nymphes (ca 1700), tapestry, French. Ref. Weigert (1956: pl. xlvi); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). A rather Pussinesque tapestry depicing nymphes who covort to the sound of a tenor-sized wind instrument played by a semi-recumbent young man at bottom right. The instrument is cylindrical, with lots of baroque turnery including ivory mountings, and is fingered as for a recorder. Unoftunately the mouth-piece end is not clear, but the player has relaxed lips and cheeks. This is a likely but not certain recorder.
Draped Figure on One Knee and a Seated Musician Playing the Flute (18th century), drawing on paper, French. Paris: Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphiques, RF 51780.BIS, Recto. The flute is direct-blown and almost certainly represents an alto-sized baroque recorder.
[Musical Company on a a Terrace] (early 18th century), copperplate engraving on paper, 17 × 24 cm, French. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Bkb - 434). Berlin: Kunstbibliothek, Inv. 918a, 1. On a terrace around a table on which are 2 music stands with notes, sit and stand 3 men and a woman. They play music: the woman on a lute, the men on alto recorder, cello and violin. Not seen.
Minerva and the Nine Muses, carved wooden relief, 9.7 × 17 cm, French. Brunswick: Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Inv. Elf 284. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, BSm - 121). Beside Minerva are the nine Muses in scanty clothing. Sox of them play or hold musical instruments, namely tambourine, lute, shawm (short and wide), duct-flute (possibly a recorder), lyre (6 strings, schematic) and a violin bow. Not seen.
[Woodwind instruments] (ca 1705), chalk drawing, French. Collection of Jill Croft-Murray. Ref. Haynes (1988: 333, fig. 21 - b&w); Croft-Murray (1980: 130 & pl. 12-b&w). Depicts an alto recorder, flute, oboe, bassoon and basset recorder, all in baroque style. The basset has a crook and a crutch. All the instruments are shown the same size, but measurements are pencilled in for them as follows: recorder, '1 p (pied) 7 p (pouces)'; flute '2 p. 2 p'; Oboe '2 p'; bassoon, '4 p 3 p'; bass recorder 3 p ½'. Thus the smaller of the two recorders is an alto. On the reverse a number of names are inscribed, namely Plaon or Raon, Cazes, Peutier or Pentier, and Dupuis. The last may refer to the Parisian maker of recorders and other woodwind.
Rouen Faïence tile with recorder player (1706), French. Sèvres: Musée National de Céramiques. Ref. Archiv Moeck. Depicts a man playing a turned baroque 3-piece recorder. Around his waist is a barrel-shaped container.
Songes du VIII^ième (ca 1720), French. Paris: Musée des Arts Decoratifs. Reproduced as the pattern of a porcelain dinner-plate in a Dijon restaurant. Ref. Christina Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2005). From a Singerie. The instruments played by the monkeys include a shawm, a small lute, a ? tambour, and a clearly depicted cylindrical recorder of soprano size played left-hand uppermost with three paws down and four open holes showing below.
Trophy on head of ivory alto recorder (1740), ? French. Paris: Cité de la Musique, E.681. Ref. Thibault et al (1973: 122 & fig. 74 - b&w); Thomson (1973: 241, photo-b&w). A trophy comprising a music book, horn, lute, triangle, bagpipes and a three-piece baroque recorder, similar to the one it decorates. Purchased in the sale of Rossini's belongings.
Painted fan (1735-1745), 28 cm long, French or English. Munich: Bayerische Nationalmuseum, Inv. 10/272. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, Mbnm - 133); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Courting couples sitting on the grass in a garden are entertained by a man playing a slender recorder, identifiable by the offset hole for the lowermost finger to the player's left.
Title Page: Recueil de pieces, petits airs, brunettes, menuets, &c. avec des doubles et variations, accomode pour es flutes traversieres, violons, pardessus de viole, etc., par M. Blavet (1744 - ca 1751), decorative cartouche, engraving, published oblong 4to, Paris, Blavet, Bayard and Leclerc, French. New York: Sotheby's, Fine Music & Continental Manuscripts, 15 May 1997, Lot 173 Ref. Artfact (2004). Michel Blavet (1700-1768) was one of the most important early flute composers. His Recueils contain flute works in many different styles, including works by Corelli, Couperin, Gautier, Geminiani, Handel, Lalande, Rameau and others, some arranged as didactic pieces for two flutes. The three volumes are engraved throughout, their titles within decorative cartouches with flutes and recorders. Not seen.
Fan (1751-1775), paper & ivory, 29.5 × 54 cm, French. Stuttgart: Württenbergisches Landesmuseum, Inv. 1966-322. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2003, Slm - 21). On the left are a pair of lovers (shepherds). To the far right is another pair in an idyllic landscape: he plays on a pipe (possibly a recorder); she sings from a notebook in her hand. Amongst the decorations on the blades is a lute.
Painted folding fan (1778-1780), guards 27.7 cm long, French. Cambridge: Fitzwilliam Museum, Inv. M.331-1985. Front: In the middle beneath a drape and swags of flowers, a lady sits at an embroidery frame accompanied by a lap dog on a low stool. The dog is looking up at a gentleman who approaches from the left, holding a cane in his right hand. Further to the left there is a chair beside a dressing table with a draped mirror and boxes on it. On the right, a lady plays a harpsichord. The scene is flanked by vases of flowers and there are borders of wavy lines of sequins and depressed beads. Reverse: Border of blue scrolls and red and green floral sprays. Sticks: A man playing a lute, flanked by ladies, a boy playing a recorder and putti, flowers and scrolls. Guards: A torch and a quiver of arrows, a seated girl holding a handkerchief, and a putto holding a torch. Not seen.
Figure of a Musician, ceramic figurine, tin-glazed earthenware, 15.87 cm, French (Strasbourg). Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 51.744. A boy seated on a stump plays a stylised duct-flute (possibly a recorder), the window/labium just visible. One of a pair with 51.745, which depicts a girl playing a cittern. Marked H. in blue on base.
Le Flûteur Champêtre (ca 1760), mezotint, 42.3 × 30.5 cm, French. London: Grosvenor Prints (2010). Sold at Augsbourg by J.J. Haid et fils. A young man sits beneath a tree holding a baroque alto-sized recorder. Currently for sale at 480.
Fan: The Oracle (1765-1775), mother of pearl, 26 × 49 cm, French. Stuttgart: Württenbergisches Landesmuseum, Inv. G 6, 165. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2003: Slm - 23). Painted in the middle of one side is a galant scene with a man and two women; on the right lies a shepherd playing a pipe (probably a recorder) with one hand. Behind him is a banner which reads: L'ORACLE.
Le jouer de flûte (ca 1780), French. Paris: Citée de la Musique. Ref. Citée de la Musique (2000). A young boy plays a small duct-flute which may represent a flageolet since he plays with four fingers of the top hand and two of the lower covering their holes.
Pastoral Scene (ca 1780), tapestry, French. Munich: Bayerisches Nationalmuseum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Woven in Aubusson or Beauvais and used to cover a settee and two chairs made in Munich for the drawing room at the Residenz for Maximilian Joseph Graf von Montgelas, ca 1805. In the scene, a shepherd boy plays a small pipe (this is to the right-hand side of the back-rest of the settee). all fingers are on except the little finger of the lowermost (right) hand which is raised as if in readiness to cover a hole. There is no sign of the window/labium, however. The ? recorder is slightly outwardly conical with the wood of the bell flare thickened.
[Military Musical Instruments] (1783), engraving, French. Ref. Carré (1783: Pl. xiv). The instruments depicted include triangle, side-drum, timpani, cymbals, tambourine, conch, bugles, horns, trumpets, bassoon, oboe, clarinet, flute, and recorder. The latter is in baroque style. There are also flags and pennants.
Musical Trophy (1783), carved wooden organ case, France. Souvigny: Prieuré St-Pierre et St Paul, organ case. Behind a putto standing on the central pillar is a trophy of musical instruments which include flute, violin, oboe, tambourine (with jingle rings), trumpet, lute, flute, and a baroque recorder. Only the head of the recorder is visible, but the characteristic beak and window/labium are clearly visible. On the left-hand pillar two putti play a pipe (probably an oboe) and cello. The organ was rebuilt in 1783 by François-Henri Clicquot.
Trophy (1790), bas-relief woodcarving, French. Bavinchove (Nord): Église Saint-Omer, organ loft, panel. Ref. Matte (2005, col.) A trophy with a musette and trumpet surrounded by foliage. Other trophies include stringed instruments, serpent, flute, oboe, lute, guitar violin, syrinx, tambourin and a duct-flute.
[Garland of Musical Instruments] (? early 18th century), carved wooden panel, French. London: Collection of Guy Oldham. Ref. Jan Bouterse to Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). A garland comprising a syrinx, a transverse flute, an oboe and an alto recorder of baroque design with a turned bead below the window/labium and a sharply flared bell (no other details visible), draped in leafy foliage.
Two Musicians in a Garden, French. Madrid: Galdiano Museum. Ref. Pottier (1992: 60, pl. XLVI - detail, b&w); Archiv Moeck. One of the musicians (a woman) plays a narrow baroque alto recorder.
Recorder Player, oil on canvas, 24 × 20 cm, French. Udine: Civici Musei e Gallerie di Storia e Arte. Ref. Tibia 2: col. (1998); Sardelli (2001: pl. 1.) Archiv Moeck. A handsome woman holds a score in her right hand and a three-piece turned baroque soprano recorder with ivory ferrules in her left hand. Intriguingly, the V-shaped neck of her gown is fastened by four embroidered recorders crossed in pairs in front of the lace which hides her decolletage. It is difficult to escape the impression that she is a respected soloist.
Concert (early 18th century), oil on canvas, 90 × 80 cm, French. Chaumont: Museé de l'Art et d'Histoire. Ref. Forneris & Debrabandère-Descamps (1991: 118-119). Possibly a copy of a work by Pierre-Jacques Cazes (Paris, 1676-1754) A consort with five figures, the central women with music on her lap, her gaze directed upwards, seems to be modlled on earlier paintings of St Cecilia. A boy at the left plays a transverse flute, and at the top right a young man plays a recorder. Two girls listen. The recorder is a highly decorated one with ivory beak and mounts with ebony studs, like come surviving instruments by Dupuis.
Gilded wood screen with tapestry inserts (? early 18th century), ? French. Oxford: Bate Collection, School of Music, Oxford University. Three of the four tapestry inserts depict trophies of musical instruments. That on the left includes a violin, a tambourine, a horn and a duct-flute with holes for six fingers, probably meant to represent a recorder since the paired holes for the lowermost finger are clearly depicted. Second from the left includes a small drum, two flute, an ? ocarina, and a small flared-bell recorder viewed (unusually) from behind, the thumbhole and details of the windway opening clearly depicted. Second from the right depicts a lute, a trumpet and what appears to be part of a flute. That on the right includes a guitar, an oboe and the middle section of a wind-instrument showing four finger-holes.
Carved device (early 18th century), stone, French. Le Lude, Château (Le Loir valley), terminal upright of square-section banisters to stone spiral staircase in remodelling of north side in early 18th century, with some use of Renaissance style to match the older southern part of the castle. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers.comm., 2000). Each upright stone support has a series of small emblems or devices, many repetitive, like a Renaissance border. The bottom terminal upright has some other devices; one consists of a seven-tube panpipe crossed with a shawm or oboe and a beaked pipe. The device is only about 10-15 cm across, and no details are shown (e.g. finger-holes) on either of the wind instruments. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Trophy with Musical Instruments (18th century), carved wooden panel, French. ?City, Vaucluse: St Anne Cathedral, choir. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A panel carved with an elaborate boarder surrounding a trophy which includes trumpet, oboe, violin, flute, and a turned baroque style recorder with a large and elaborate foot.
Trophy with Musical Instruments (18th century), carved wooden panel, French. Paris: Musée des Arts Decoratifs. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A panel carved with an elaborate boarder surrounding a trophy which includes a xylophone, an oboe, the foot of a ? shawm, a lyre, music, and the head of a turned baroque style recorder.
Title page: Six Trios pour deux Violons et une Basse, Dédiérs a Madame La Dauphine (18th century), French. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). The composer is not indicated. In an elaborate frame a woman sings from a score pen on her lap accompanied by a man on harpsichord and another leaning across a table playing a slender pipe, probably a duct-flute (possibly a recorder). They are conducted by a cellist who stands behind them waving his bow, his rather outsized instrument leaning against a balcony.
Thalia: Muse of Comedy (18th century), marble sculpture, 48 × 30 cm, French. Troyes: Museum of Fine Arts Ref. Joconde Website (1999). A bust of Thalia (Muse of comedy and pastoral poetry) crowned with a wreath of flowers, with a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder). Part of a group of sculptures. Not seen.
Chair covers (18th century), petit point tapestry, France. Versailles: Room with pictures of generals, six chairs, Cat. V922. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999). The chairs were made in 1835 but are covered with petit point tapestry from the 18th century. They were made for the King's bedroom at Versailles.
Chair two has a scene on the back (squab) with two ladies in the country arranging their picked flowers in a basket, while to their left a young man sits on the bole of a tree holding a duct-flute (possibly a recorder) in front of him, his hands in playing position with the right hand lowermost. The instrument is of alto size, the bell slightly flared and the bore widening. The tapestry on the seat shows a young man in a floppy hat playing a shawm.

Chair five has a scene on the back (squab) which depicts another country scene with a gentleman and a lady walking. To their right, a young man plays a viola with a large outcurved and pointed bow. To their left, sitting against a tree, another young man plays a recorder of alto or tenor size. The latter has a slight bell flare with a strongly marked bore opening.

Chair six has a swing! All are rather Fragonard-ish.
Reunion of Artists (18th century), oil on canvas, French. Paris: Musée Carnavalet. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2004). This is actually a concert picture with players of oboe, two violins, a large transverse flute, and a perfectly shaped baroque tenor recorder with an ivory mouthpiece. The recorder player, seated, is not playing his instrument but holds it almost vertically in his left hand, the bell end resting on his right thigh. Above the holding hand the window/labium is just visible, though the instrument is generally in shadow so that the finger-holes are not discernable. There is a fairly abrupt flare a the bell end. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Trophy (?18th century), French. Versailles: Room at end of Gallery of Mirrors, on wall above mirrors. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm. 1999). Includes music, musette, bassoon, two flutes, and two recorders. Only the head of one of the recorders is shown; it has a short, down-curved beak, and ornate turning at the joint with the body. Only the lower part of the second recorder is visible; four holes in line can be seen on the body, that on the foot joint is offset; it has the usual baroque turnery and is flared externally.
Trophy (?18th century), French. Versailles: Room at end of Gallery of Mirrors, over the door leading to the Queen's rooms. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm. 1999). Includes harp, violin, oboe and two recorders. Of the latter, only the foot joint of one and the beak and part of the body of the other are visible.
The Recorder Players (mid-18th century), tapestry, French (Beauvais). Location unknown: offered for sale at Sotheby's, London, 1 November 1974. Ref. Warburg Institute, London. A young man fingers a recorder whilst his female companion blows it. They sit on a bank in a garden where other couples desport themselves suggestively. In the background are trees, a stone urn, and a wreathed bust of a bearded man who looks discreetly away. This is very reminiscent of Boucher's The Agreeable Lesson.
Trophy (mid-18th century), carved wood panel, French. San Francisco: Palace of the Legion of Honour, Louis XV Room, above a door on the left of the clock on the NE wall. Part of the boiserie adorning the walls of a music room created for a château near Rouen which has been reconstructed in its present home. The original would have been painted with gold-leaf highlights. Each of the ornamental panels around the room has a trophy of musical instruments. This one comprises a baroque style recorder (seen in side profile with its characteristic curved beak) crossed with a cornett (very clear, with an angular bell). The window/labium and finger-holes of the recorder are not depicted, but there can be no doubt about its identification. Wind instruments depicted in other trophies include syrinx, clarinet, oboe, shawm, flute, and a flared pipe with far too many finger-holes.
Musicians refreshing themselves (18th century - Louis XVI), marquetry commode, French. London: Sotheby's, 17 April 1964. Ref. Sale Catalogue, fig. 54; Warburg Institute, London. On the right side, there is a large single illustration of two musicians at table with a carafe of wine, one seated, one (with a hat) standing holding a glass. There is a music desk-stand with two sheets of music on it, as if just played from; a bassoon leans against its side. On a wall at the right, are two identical duct-flutes of tenor size hanging side by side. They have a marked bell flare, their window/labium is clear and, although no finger-holes are visible there is a fontanelle: they are almost certainly recorders. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Pensent-t-ils à la Musique, engraving (? late 18th century, Paris). Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale. Ref. RIdIM/RCMI Newsletter 7(2): backsheet (b&w). A caricature in which a man in a floppy hat holding a violin leans on his music stand, an old man in dark glasses dozes in his chair holding a serpent, a broad-shouldered man with tousled, flowing hair leans over the chair of a young woman harpsichordist who holds his recorder somewhat disdainfully whilst he shows her how to finger it.
Times of Day – Scenes from Country Life: Evening (18th century), Toile de Jouie, French. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Printed cotton fabric with standardised series of designs based on Arcadian country life, in a style derived from Boucher. Times of Day has four scenes, the last showing the harvest being brought in while the farmer's wife prepares an evening meal, and the farmer (not dressed as his labourers) helps things along with his music played on a wind-instrument with a widely flared-bell. The latter has a beak of sorts and probably represents an early clarinet, but it could just be a recorder.
Toile de Jouie design (18th century), possibly after Boucher, French. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). In a woodland, a shepherd fingers a slender conical duct-flute whilst his companion blows it. A tiny window/labium is clearly visible and the bell has an ornamental foot.
Singerie: The Concert (18th century), oil on canvas, 89.1 × 150.9 cm, French. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1957.7.1. Ref. Ford (1986: #175). "Ten animals, playing harpsichord (?), oboe, recorder, violin, flute, lute, cello, bassoon, and dulcimer. Four animals singing (three from music); one conducting from music" (Ford, loc. cit.) The recorder is played by a hare. It is of slender form with a bulge between the head and the body; the bell is flared. One of a series of six Singeries.
Portrait of a Boy Playing a Flute (18th century), oil on canvas, French. Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - b&w). A boy wearing a blue coat and cap plays a flared-bell soprano recorder. This appears to be a copy of the anonymous Portrait of a Boy Playing a Flageolet (ca 1650) in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (A113).
Family Concert at Chateau Renescure (18th century), oil on canvas, French. Lille: Musée des Beaux-Arts. Ref. Bridgeman Art Library (2002: Image ID LIL 16728 - col.) On a terace before the classical-style façade of Chateau Renescure a man with a roll of paper in his hand conducts a young girl, a woman and a man singing to the accompaniment of harpsichord, cello and violin. Other members of the family listen. Three dogs gambol in the foreground. The Bridgeman Art Library on-line database mentions a flute and a recorder, but the detail is insufficient for me to observe these. Chateau Renescure is in Canton de Hazebrouk Nord.
Title Page, Book of Offices: April, watercolour on paper, 15.9 × 10.2 cm, (18th century), French. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cod. gall. 812. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, Mbs - H540); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). A trophy comprises two crossed recorders beneath two violins or violas.
Moustachioed Man, wearing a high Wig and Angel's wings, holding a Dwarf, playing a Flute, with a Man in a Fool's Costume on the left (18th century), red chalk offset on pale cream, medium-weight paper, 19.1 × 16.5 cm, French. Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, WA1942.51.14. Ref. Whiteley (2000: 890). This appears to represent a scene from a play of some kind. The dwarf, reading from a music stand, plays a small flared pipe, possibly a recorder.
A Young Boy Sleeping Holding a Flute (18th century), painting, French Location unknown: auctioned 20/10/2005 (unsold) Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank (2007 - col.) A toddler lies slumped against a wall leaning on a cushion and holding in his right hand a narrowly conical pipe which could be taken for a recorder, given the connection in art and literature between the recorder and sleep, and especially as the dog is asleep as well! Several finger-holes can be seen, including what looks like an offset one near the foot of the instrument. A bulbous thickening at the blowing end might represent the beak and window/labium.
Recorder-Player (late 18th century), wool tapestry armchair, 96.5 × 63.5 × 59.7 cm, French (Aubusson or Beauvais). Cleveland: Museum of Art, 42.29. Ref. Ford (1991: #224). "On the back of the armchair, a standing boy plays a recorder" (Ford, loc. cit.) Not seen.
Automne (late 18th century), Ghiordes knot, silk and wool tapestry, 297 × 218 cm, French (Savonnerie). Cleveland: Museum of Art, 46.247. Ref. Ford (1991: #230). "At left, suspended from a pillar are two tambourines and [a] triangle with jingles. At right, suspended from a pillar, are cymbals, a drum with sticks, two oboes, and the head portion of a recorder" (Ford, loc. cit.)
Untitled (late 18th century), sculptured trophy, French. Esquay-sur-Seulles (Calvados): Château de Bellefontaine. Ref. Website: Iconographie de la cornamuse en France (2009). Includes a bagpipe, a tamborine, a duct-flute (possibly a recorder), a cane and leaves.
Roy y Bon, print, ? French (? 18th century). Ref. Early Music News 85: cover (1985). A woman sits languidly at a spinet upon which rests a music score headed "Roy y Bon" At her feet is a trophy comprising a rolled score, a jingle ring and a beaked flared-bell pipe with an offset hole for the lowermost finger, almost certainly a recorder.
Wall decoration, painting, French (? late 18th century). Château de Fontainebleau. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2007). A wall painting in a room redecorated by Napoleon I / Empress Josephine by some rather humdrum artists includes a trophy with a lyre, harp, kettle drum, shawm, and a baroque recorder. Only the head of the latter is visible which has an ivory beak and ornamental rings; the body and foot are obscured behind the lyre.
Trophy, wood carving (bas relief), French (18th century). Ravel (Puy de Dôme): Château, Salon de musique. Ref. Website: Iconographie de la cornamuse (2009). One of a series of 6 trophies all different but in the same style. This one includes a musette, a large duct-flute (probably a recorder), trumpet, etc.

German

Title Page (18th century), pen & ink on paper, French. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. od.gall. 812 -7, Fol. 3 r. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Mbs - H 540). Vignettes above and below the title. Above are two crossed recorders over open scores. Below is a violin or viola with a bow. Not seen.
Young Man with a Flute (late 18th century), oil on canvas, oval, 42 × 31 cm, Anonymous. Anholt: Museum Wasserburg, Private Appartments, Inv. 663. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, ANHs-8); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Half-figure of a young man who holds a soprano/alto sized recorder in his right hand, beating time with his left.
A Musical Joke (ca 1710), engraving, German. Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Print Collection, Inv. HB 23 790/63. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999: Ngm 958). A man, probably a Jester, plays a recorder, with a variety of other instruments around him. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Nativity (ca 1720), stone carving, South German. Trier: Dom. St Peter, Lady Chapel. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002); Recorder Magazine 23(4): front cover, detail - col.) "There are two altars side by side abutting the South wall of the Lady Chapel. On this wall (i.e. along left side of the Lady Chapel), are three lighlty-painted stone bas-reliefs of the life of the Virgin (Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity) in rococo style, well-composed with expressive figure-carvings. In the Nativity scene (nearest the altar), is an adoration of the shepherds. One shepherd (only) is shown, with a woman (presumably his wife) and three boys. The shepherd's wife brings a basket, with a hen, and the shepherd has placed a lamb by the Christ-Child. The nearest shepherd-boy, with his staff, holds a soprano-size baroque recorder in his left hand, in offering. It is conspicuosly coloured dark brown, with very clear beak and window/labium, and a turned ring at the head-joint. Two finger-holes above the boy's hand and three below are visible. There is a slight contraction before the wide expansion to the bell end. The bottom end of the recorder is slightly damaged showing bare stone, and indicating that the instrument has not be affected by any restoration which may have been carried out on these bas-reliefs" (Rowland-Jones, loc. cit.)
Decorated title page (? ca 1720-1730), engraving, ? German. The Hague: Gemeentemuseum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). The Gemeentemuseum have no documentation whatsover for this remarkable engraving, presumably intended as a title-page. In a spacious concert hall or church an orchestra is playing. At the back is a pipe organ (the shutters of which are painted with the usual Annunciation scene) flanked by two sets of tympani (on the right) and a harpsichord (on the left). At the front right are four trombonists and six trumpeters. In the middle are a childrens choir, a group of vocal soloists (amongst whom stands the conductor), and a band of violinists. At the front left are two double-bassists, four flautists, and four recorder players with baroque alto instruments. It is doubtful if such forces could be raised anywhere other than Dresden or possibly Leipzig, but it is probably wishful thinking. Notes (in part) by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
[Musicians on a Terrace] (ca 1730), German. Ref. Blume, F. (1949-1963, 1: 1289-1290); Aulich (1981: tafel II); Archiv Moeck; Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A man stands on a terrace playing an alto three-piece baroque recorder accompanied by three musicians seated around a table on which their music is perched: a woman plays the lute and two men play violin and cello.
Title Page: Singende Müse an der Pleisee (1736), engraving, German. Ref. Teri Noel Towe, The Face of Bach (2001). A collection of strophic songs for the middle class "mass" market that was assembled and published in Leipzig in 1736, by "Sperontes", the nom de plume of Johann Sigismund Scholze. Scholze was a talented and ingenious wordsmith who cannily developed the practice of fitting the words of his strophic songs to pre-existing music, almost all of which was familiar to his audience, and mid-18th-century documents credit two of the songs to Johann Sebastian Bach. The illustration shows groups of prosperous middle-class and upper-middle class residents of Leipzig indulging in favorite pastimes at an outdoor pleasure garden on the banks of the river Pleisse, with the cityscape as a backdrop. It has been suggested (perhaps fancifully) that the well-dressed gentleman seated at a table in the bottom right and the attractive (and evidently taller!) woman across the table playing a clavichord, may represent Bach and Anna Magdalena, out for an afternoon of leisure, away from the children, the hustle and bustle of the household, and the pandemonium of the Thomasschule (Towe, loc. cit.) A satyr creeps out from underneath their table!?

An ornamental scroll around the title details at the top of the frame is surrounded by musical instruments, including two harps, violin, horn, ? cittern, ? bassoon, flute, and (left-centre) what appears to be a baroque-style recorder the head with its characteristic beak and window/labium is clearly visible. Winged cherubs at left and right hold a ? bagpipe and two oboes respectively. In the foreground left a singer is accompanied by a second clavichord player.
From Johann Christian Trömer (alias Jean Chrétien Toucement), Des Deusch-Franços Schrifften …, Leipzig (1736), engraving, German. Ref. Fulbourne: Walter Bergmann Slide WB 33; Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Includes a trophy of two baroque alto recorders tied with a ribbon. The engraver seems to have gone to considerable pains to show us all aspects of the instruments (except the maker's mark). But these less than conical narrow-bore type instruments would be the German late baroque type, favouring high notes and generally played in pairs.
Decoration of a lid of a harpsichord made by Hieronymous Albrecht Hass (1742), German. Hamburg: Hamburgmuseum, Music Room. Ref. Mesiter der Barockmusic (MG/Ep/Bar 11), V. Vereins und Westban, Hamburg: 180-19; Pottier (1992: 63, pl. XLIX); Archiv Moeck. In a park, a young girl plays a xylophone balanced on a tree-stump and her little brother plays the recorder.
Title page: Albertus Hirschberger, Philomena Cisterciensis (Burghausen, 1743), engraving, German. Munich: Universitätsbibliothek, Inv. No. 4 Liturg. 455,1.2. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.), Bowles (2002: 214, pl. 222 - b&w). An elaborate ornamental arch has two pillars surmounted by horns, and on the face of each two trophies of musical instruments. Those on the left comprise trombone and bassoon above and recorder and oboe below. Those on the right comprise two folded trumpets above and recorder and oboe below. In front of the archway a putto sitting on a long drum plays a transverse flute surrounded by musical instruments including harp, tympani, horn, syrinx, violin, clavichord, flutes and cello.
Musical Pastimes (1749), copper engraving, German (Frankfurt-Leipzig). Vienna: Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. Ref. RIdIM Austria: Nr. 390 (2001); Prof. Tilman Seebas (pers. comm., 2001). Musicians pass the time singing and playing harpsichord, cello, violin and recorder.
Two Musicians (ca 1750), German. Location unknown: Eisenmann sale, Lepke, Berlin, 19-20 July 1935. Ref. Rasmussen (2002, Keyboard). "One plays clavichord, the other, recorder" (Rasmussen, loc. cit.)
[Shepherd and Shepherdess] (1720-1780), porcelain figurine, German (? Frankenthal). Fulbourn: Anthony & Christina Rowland-Jones. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). This is a copy of a figurine of mid-18th century design. It is marked with a crown enclosing the monogram "cdc" A shepherd holds a short stubby ambiguous pipe while a shepherdess decorates a circlet with golden roses. There are more roses on the ground beside a sheep.
Music Party (ca 1750-1800), Anonymous, German. The Hague: Gemeentemuseum. Ref. Archiv Moeck; Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). A seated women plays a lute whilst her male companions play violin and a perfect late baroque recorder, the latter leaning against a pillar. The recorder player's left hand is lowermost; finger-holes one, two and three are covered; four, five and six are visible under the fingers. The little finger is raised as if to cover an offset hole which, however, is not visible. An accompanying verse reads:
Dann ist die Musica, was Hertz und Seele rüret,
Wan man den reinen Klang, in sangsten Thönen spühret
Back to Ganassi: Imitate a singer!

The date may seem late but there is other evidence that the recorder was used for domestic music-making in Holland well into the second half of the eighteenth century. Cf. Vincent Janszoon van der Vinne's Musical Gathering, dated (1751-1811).
Angel Musicians (18th century), fresco, German. Bad Schussenried: Kloster Schussenried, Pfarrkirche St Magnus, tribune. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) On one side of the transept is a gallery with three panels depicting two clarinets; flute and two recorders; bassoon and two oboes. The opposite gallery has panels depicting two trumpets; a kettle drum; two trombones. The recorders are alto and tenor baroque models. Schussenried Abbey (Kloster Schussenried, Reichsabtei Schussenried) was a Premonstratensian monastery. Although founded in the 12th century, its buildings were extensively rebuilt and decorated from 1752.
Porcelain lamp (1755), German. Frankfurt am Main: Historisches Museum, Inv. X28 452. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Fhm - 179). The lamp is decorated with a shepherd and shepherdess embracing. The shepherd has a small pipe (possibly a recorder) in his belt. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Man Playing Pipe and Drum (1755), Hochst porcelain figurine, German. Bedford: Cecil Higgins Art Gallery. Ref. Charles Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). A man in a tricorne hat and a blue coat plays a duct-flute in his right hand whilst beating a long drum with the other. Two finger-holes are visible above his right hand and two below, and others are likely to be hidden beneath his hand, so this is a flageolet or recorder rather than a three-holed pipe.
Landscape with Shepherd (1746-1755), German. Altenhof Kreis Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Herrenhaus. Ref. Bildarchiv Foto Marburg (DISKUS-Objekt-Dokument 00071285 – b&w). A young shepherd boy plays a cylindrical pipe (flageolet or recorder) to his sheep.
Porcelain group (ca 1759), Anonymous, after Johann Friedrich Lück. Mannheim: Städtisches Reiß-Museum, Inv. RNN 1973/8. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, MHrm - 127). A cavalier and lady dressed as shepherd and sheperdess. The latter has a recorder. Not seen.
Pastoral Group (ca 1755), Meissen porcelain figurine, 8.4 cm high, German. London: Christie's, Continental Ceramics, 8 July 2002, Lot 291. Ref. Artfact (2004). Blue crossed swords mark. A shepherd in a black plumed hat, puce jacket, white shirt, yellow breeches and black shoes, stands before a tree stump playing a recorder, his dog seated beside him, two fighting rams and four sheep before them, on a shaped rectangular base applied with flowers and foliage (goat broken off and lacking and associated crack around back of tree stump, two branches broken off and lacking, chipping to leaf, hat, bow of hat, fingers and thumb of right hand and ribbon of right shoe, minute chips to dog's ear, each ram with horn lacking and with chipping to one ear, one ewe with chipped front right hoof, chipping to leaves and flowers on base).
French Clock with Meissen figures on music-box base (ca 1760), German (Meissen/Dresden). Sorento: Museo Correale di Terranova. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). The ornate clock is by Baillon, but the designer of the figures is unknown. A shepherd plays a perfect baroque recorder whilst a shepherdess dances for him.
The Enjoyable Lesson (1750-1760), engraving, German (Augsburg). Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Print Collection HB 25 401. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Ngm - 1000). A man plays a recorder.
Set of Meissen porcelain tea-cups in a travelling case with a large plate in the lid (1770), German. Berlin: Charlottenburg Palace. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). The design has a scene depicting a shepherd with a pipe, all in black, but very clear. The pipe has the shape of a late baroque alto recorder with a medium flare bell and is played right hand lowermost.
Trophies of Musical Instruments (1766), decorative wall panels, German. Ratzeburg (Schleswig-Holstein): Kreismuseum Herzogtum Lauenburg in Herrenhaus, Rokokosaal. Ref. Postcard: Verlag Konrad Hauser, Ratzeburg; Walter Bergmann ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2003). Decorative panels on the side-walls of this rococo room have trophies with musical instruments. One has a lute, flute and baroque tenor recorder; another has horn, oboe and a baroque bass recorder with a bocal shown entering the top of the windcap. There are possibly more recorders in the decorations of this room.
[Musical Shepherds] (ca 1770), Meissen porcelain figurine, German. Chatsworth: Devonshire Collection. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2003). Musical shepherds play flute, hurdy-gurdy and lute, but a violin, bow and a pale brown recorder lie on the ground below. The recorder is of baroque design, an alto with bulges and rings at the joints and a clear window/labium. Below this, but still in the head section, are two finger-holes with three more below, all in line. Holes six and seven have not been painted on or are otherwise missing.
Shepherd and Shepherdess (ca 1770), Hochst porcelain figurine, 19 cm high, German. New York: Christie's, English, Continental and Chinese Export Ceramics and Glass, 11 October 1990, Lot 126. A shepherd standing holding a recorder, a dog at his feet, his companion kneeling to tie a garland around a lamb's neck, a flower-filled basket at his feet, on a grassy mound base (restoration to her hat and dog, chips to basket, flowers, recorder and bows).
Boy with a Flute, porcelain figurine, 16.5 cm high, German (Fulda). Hamburg: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Inv. 1899.66. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Hmkg - 127). A boy standing in knee-breeches and decorated hat, holding in one hand a small recorder in the other a flower.
Family Album of C.G. Müller, paper, 11.6 × 20 cm, German. Stuttgart: Württenbergisches Landesmuseum, Inv. 1934-100. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2003, Slm - 310). A goatherd with a shepherdess and sheep plays a tenor length pipe (possibly a duct-flute). The instrument is cylindrical with a short bell flare. All the player's fingers are down, the right hand lowermost, but the hands are held high on the instrument. The lips are relaxed and he may not be actually playing. Details of the mouthpiece are uncertain.
A Collegium Musicum (ca 1775), German. Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Ref. Salmen (1969: 81); Early Music 1(3) (1973: 136, fig. (b&w); Paris RIdIM (1999); Dearling (1999: 167, col.) A page from a family album. What appears to be a mixture of professional (hatted) and amateur musicians (unhatted) sing and play around an enormously long harpsichord, conducted by a man at the back waving a roll of paper. Three singers are accompanied by three violins, cello, two trumpets and three wind-instruments some of which may well be recorders. One, with his back to us standing beside the harpsichordist, plays what is probably a bassoon but just might be a basset recorder. On the wall at the back of the room hang two violins and another recorder.
Pastorale (1775), gouache on paper, 16.5 × 12.5 cm, German. Vienna: Kunsthandel Boris Wilnitsky, Lot 3JGW5. Ref. Sotheby's New York (2002). Part of a fan made in the early 19th century. It was formerly in the album of Christian G. Gross, who studied medicine at the University in Halle, Germany, in the 1750s. On a grassy knoll amidst the forest, a seated woman and a man standing before her are entertained by a shepherd who plays a long ambiguous pipe. Around them are sheep, cattle, and a dog.
La Bonne Mère (ca 1778), porcelain group, Anonymous, after Johann Friedrich Lück. Mannheim: Städtisches Reiß-Museum. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999: MHrm 140). A family group with a small ? recorder played by a child. Not seen.
Porcelain figurine (1770-1780), German. Mannheim: Städtisches Reiß-Museum, Inv. Ch 1001. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, MHrm - 77). A boy plays a recorder. Not seen.
Cavalier with Flute (1775-1779), porcelain figurine, Anonymous, after Johan Peter Melchior. Mainz: Mittelrheinisches Landesmuseum, Iv. 28/63. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, MZlm - 105). This work is catalogued under 'blockflöte' rather than 'flöte'. Not seen.
Fluteplayer with Dog (ca 1760), porcelain figurine, 17 cm high, German. Brunswick: Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Inv. Por 903. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, BSm - 278). A young shepherd plays a small shawm or recorder. Not seen.
Flute-playing Shepherd with Dog (ca 1775), porcelain figurine, 17 cm high, German. Brunswick: Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Inv. Für 7190. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, BSm - 304). A young shepherd plays a small shawm or recorder, a dog at his feet. Not seen.

Flute Player (ca 1780), oil on wood, German. Paris: Musée de la Musique, Inv. E.999.7.1 Ref. Meloen (2000); Citée de la Musique (2001); A man in an elegant blue costume stands beside a rock amidst a mountainous landscape, looking down at an open music book on the rock beside him. He plays a perfectly depicted baroque alto recorder, right hand lowermost, all fingers down. In order to see the music he plays his recorder from the corner of his mouth.
Sketches and Notebook (1784-1786), red ink on paper, 19 × 23.5 cm, German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. Cgm 8532. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, bs - H 486). Marginal illustrations: at the top are sheep and cow heads; at the bottom is a standing shepherd boy with a small recorder or shawm. Not seen.
The Birdcatcher (1792), ink on paper, oval, 11.8 × 17.5 cm, German. Frankfurt: Museum für angewandte Kunst, Inv. L.St. 298, fol. S. 198. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Fmk - 146). Transverse oval portrait of a shepherd boy who has caught a bird by a thread; a small recorder or shawm is in his belt. Not seen.
Boy with a Bird (1794), red ink on paper, oval, 10.4 × 19 cm (paper), 9.5 &tems; 125 cm. (image), German. Frankfurt: Museum für angewandte Kunst, Inv. L.St. 403, fol. S. 19. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Fmk - 146). Transverse oval picture of a shepherd boy who holds a captive bird on a string. He has an alto shawm or recorder in his belt. Not seen.
The Shepherds from the Mountains, porcelain figurine, 36 cm high, German (Frankenthal). Heidelberg: Kurpfälzisches Museum, Inv. Po 636 / L 324. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2002, HDkm - 87); Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). Shepherds play a duct-flute and a bagpipe.
Le Garçon content, à Augsburg chez J.J. Haid et fils (18th century), engraving. ex collection of Walter Bergmann. Ref. Recorder & Music Magazine 1(8): 227. Shows an elaborately turned baroque recorder.
Gilded trophies on woodcarved doors (18th century), German. Berlin: Charlottenburg Palace, Audience chamber (101), Red Chamber (102), etc. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Gilded trophies of musical instrumetns inlcude several showing parts of recorders, e.g. a recorder head with window/labium and three finger-holes, foot-joints, beaked mouthpieces, etc. All are of baroque-style alto recorders with decorative rings.
[Title unknown] (18th century), painting, German. Berlin: Charlottenburg Palace, Upper State Appartments. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). Depicts a country scene with a boy at the left playing a pipe to a rapt group of six smaller children. There are no details, but the pipe is of alto size, cylindrical and with a medium bell flare.
Stone-carved trophy (18th century), German. Berlin: Charlottenburg Palace, Garden Room, on pilaster at left of glass doors to garden. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). The trophy includes an oboe and a possible recorder inverted and crossed with a second oboe. The recorder is of late baroque design with a rounded beak, with decorative rings above the bell and at the centre of the body.

Musicians in a Church Interior (early 18th century), German. The Hague: Gemeentemuseum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones pers. comm., 2001). A small choir (with two boys visible) in a protestant church with recorder and flute playing together with continuo played on both organ and harpsichord. The recorder player reads from a score entitled Cantata …Flauto balanced on the edge of the Italian-style harpsichord. The alto/tenor sized recorder is of the slender three-piece baroque style well fitted to the high tessitura of recorder parts by Bach and Telemann. Beneath the harpsichord the following verse appears:

Rührt die Zauberthon empfindich deine Brust,
Erregt dis Saiterspiel bey dir vergnügte Lust,
Wird durch die Harmonie der Sinnen Kraft benomen:
Gedencke nur dabey; sie ist vom Himmel Kommen.

If a magical feeling stirs within your chest,
And this wonderful singing inflames your desire,
Such harmony of the senses is overpowering:
One cannot but obey; it is heaven-sent.

Banquet (early 18th century), painting, German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Inv. 13280. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Mstag - 781). Music in the background play three violins (or two violins and viola) with a bass recorder. The bocal of the latter is affixed to the top centre of the cap; the bell end is widely flared and decorated. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
A Huntswoman and a Shepherd (mid-18th century), 2 Meissen porcelain figurines, 15.8 cm & 15.8 cm high, German. New York: Christie's, Fine French and Continental Furniture, 24 May 2001, Lot 427. Ref. Artfact (2004). With blue crossed swords mark. She wearing a blue-lined yellow jacket and skirt and a blue tri-corner hat and bodice, a shotgun resting in the crook of her arm; he leaning against a tree stump and playing a recorder, wearing a yellow hat, turquoise jacket, puce britches and a dog recumbent at his feet.
Country Scene (18th century), porcelain figurine from Ludwigsburg. Location unknown: exhibited at Third Biennale of Antiquaries, Florence, September-October (1963). Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). Seated beneath a gnarled tree-trunk with their lambs, a shephard plays a bagpipe and a shepherdess a conical duct-flute (flageolet or recorder). From the tree there hangs a rustic lute.
Apollo and the Muses (18th century), German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen. Ref. Munich RidIM (1999, Mstag - 780). On the ground with music but in shadow, making identification uncertain, are three possible recorders, together wth a clear bass recorder with a bocal. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Gilt-relief tropies on side of large free-standing circular stone (18th century). Bamburg: Neue Residenz (1703). Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999). Two of the trophies have what may be recorders. One (crossed with a small trumpet, a syrinx and a hunting horn) shows a clear beak and window/labium with three upper finger-holes, but is damaged. The other, on the central trophy (crossed with a violin, a small trumpet and an early baroque bow), is of alto size, crudely cut-off at the beak end. The upper part is covered by the violin; its window/labium lies between two ring mouldings, and a single finger-hole is visible. The lower part has three clear finger-holes, then a ring moulding, then a key with a square end.
Allegory of Church Music (mid-18th century), engraving, German. Bremen Kunsthalle, Print Collection, Inv. 71.410. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, BMkh - 154). Angel musicians high in a church with a large organ play many instruments, including at left a recorder. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Meissen porcelain: cup and saucer with medallions (late 18th century), Anonymous after Greuze. Mannheim: Städtische Reiss-Museum, Inv. C b 36 (96). Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, MHrm - 152). In a large oval medallion are a children's drum and ? recorder. A similar group to La Bonne Mère (ca 1778) above. Not seen.
[Untitled], marble sculpture (late 18th century), German. Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum, O.2210. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Ngm - 183). A naked putto sits on a goat's back holding a curious duct-flute in one hand which has no finger-holes but has a double-flared bell and a central section with double ring decorations above and below. Notes (in part) by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Recorder-playing Youth (1701-1800), sketch, crayon on blue paper, German. Cologne: Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Z 5598. Ref. Munich RIdIm (1999: KNwr 395). A youth wearing only a loincloth and a cap, sits on a stool playing an alto-sized flared-bell recorder.
Shepherd and Shepherdess with a He-Goat and a Flute (18th century), porcelain figurine, Germany (Meissen). Lund: Kulturhistoriska Museet för Södra Sverige, KM 60.163. Ref. RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A shepherd boy plays a duct-flute to a shepherdess, and a goat. He plays left hand uppermost. The window/labium is clear; one finger-hole is visible between his hands; there is a double hole under the third finger of the right hand, and a very large offset little finger-hole. Thus this is probably a recorder. The presence of the double finger-hole is interesting! Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
? Title, sculpture, white marble, German. Potsdam: Sans Souci Palace. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). At the foot of a flautist lies a baroque recorder.
Shepherd Playing the Flute (18th century), painting, Germany. Location unknown. Ref. Universitatario Olandese di Storia dell'Arte Firenze, Special Photo Study Collections, Image 0038863 (2009 - b&w). A shepherd wearing a laurel wreath and seated beneath a tree plays a one-piece flared-bell alto recorder watched by a horse, two dogs, a stag and a duck.
Angel Concert, ink & gouache on paper, 18.7 × 14.7 cm, German. Munich: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Inv. gm 8416, Fol. 257 r. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Mbs - H 486). Angel musicians (all instruments indistinct or schematic). In the gallery are six angels with trumpets, timpani. Below one angel plays a positive organ. To the left, four angels sing from sheet music; behind them angels play lute and mandora). To the right three angels play violins, and one plays a cello; behind them three angels play cornetts and one plays a bass recorder, the bocal, window and fontanelle clearly visible. An inscription below reads:

Weil Jesus über mein Hertz thuet walten, die Engel himmlische music halten.
[Musical Group] (18-19th century), porcelain figurine, German (Meissen). Rome: Pinacoteca Capitolina. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). A boy plays a musette, a standing man plays a ? duct-flute (broken) and a seated women plays a xylophone with two beaters.

Irish

Trophy of Musical Instruments (ca 1724), carved oak panel, Irish. Dublin: St Michan's Church, panel at front of organ loft. Ref. Insight Cards: Postcard (2005); Barra Boydell (pers. comm., ex Anthony Rowland-Jones 2005). A trophy of 17 musical instruments including harp, violins, cello (with frets), viol, cittern, bassoons, oboe, trumpets, lute, etc., and three baroque recorders (2 tenors and one alto). The organ itself was built by John Baptiste Cuvillié between 1723 and 1725, and the ground plan of the church shows that the panel was in place by 1724 . The wood carver is unknown, but this panel bears a striking resemblence to the frame by John Houghton for Bindon's portrait of Jonathan Swift, which hangs in St Patrick's Cathedral deanery. John Houghton is known to have worked at St Michan's.

Italian

Man Playing a Recorder (ca 1700), pen & ink on white paper with large stains or smudges, 11 × 10 cm, North Italian. Milan: Biblioteca Ambrosiana, ND Cat. No. 6704, BA Shelfmark F 234 inf. n. 880. Pasted to folio 59 of the codex. A striding man holds a recorder in both hands to his mouth. He wears a belted tunic (?) and a plumed hat. On the left are trees or shrubbery, vaguely depicted.
Pastorale (17-18th century), oil on canvas, Italian. Ref. Gabrius Data Bank (2001 - b&w). Shepherds with their beasts around them, pass the time singing and dancing to the sound of a flared-bell pipe (shawm or duct-flute, possibly a recorder) played by a man in a brimmed hat and jerkin. Auctioned 9 December 1992, unsold (Gabrius, loc. cit.)
Minerva and the Muses (ca 1700), oil on canvas, 30 × 40 cm, Italian. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Dük - 95). Against a landscape the nine Muses stand in front of a draped curtain. To the left, Euterpe plays a duct-flute the details of which are not clear other than the window/labium and the slight (recorder-like) flare at the bell end. To the right, Calliope (muse of heroic poetry) plays the lyre. Amid the Muses stands Minerva with helmet and shield. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Outdoor Concert(ca 1700), Italian. Milan: Private collection. Ref. Fabbri (1952, 2: 14-15; ? date, vol.: 164); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000); Paulo Biordi (pers. comm., 2000); Angelo Zaniol (pers. comm., 2004). Musicians sing and play lute, cello, violin, viola and a three-piece baroque alto recorder. A huge man in the middle beats time with a roll of paper. On a hillside behind, shepherds play bagpipes and two flared-bell pipes. Above, angels (one holding a cross) and putti seem to be entangled in the branches of a tree!
Organ case: decorative panels beside the right-hand column (? 1705+), gilded wood on pale grey background, Italian. Venice: Chiesa di San Pantalon. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Depicts four crossed instruments, two of which may be recorders, one in the upper pair, one in the lower pair. The upper is of tenor size, the lower of alto size. Their upper sections are of baroque design, with a curved lip at the mouthpiece. There is no separate foot-joint, but a slight bell flare. Both instruments have two finger-holes showing at the upper end.
Organ case: decoration between pillars and arch (? 1725), gilded wood-carvings, Italian. Venice: Chiesa di San Rocco. Carvings over the organ include eight recorders, all baroque in style, two shown complete, others partly hidden. They have a hole for the little finger on a moveable bottom joint. Other instruments include violin, flute, trumpets, guitar, lutes. A carved angel at the right side of the organ plays the flute but has a recorder of the same style as the others tied to his belt. Part of the church was re-constructed in 1725 which is the probably date of the carvings. The artist is not named. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
[Untitled] ?1730), fresco, Italian. Padova: Palazzo Capadilista. Ref. Capri, in Fabbri (?date, 3: ? page); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A man on a balcony seen in side profile next to a theorbist plays a flared recorder with an elongated beak. Opposite them a couple dance. In the background is a grand palace with columns, balustrades and statues.
Concert Italien (1752-1754), engraving. Location unknown. Ref. Libin (1976: 17, fig. 3); Early Music 16(3): 361 (1988); Thomson & Rowland-Jones (1995: 207, pl. 41). Shows a group of prominent Italian musicians: Scarlatti, Tartini, Sammartini, Locatelli & Lanzetti. Sammartini plays an instrument that looks like a cross between an oboe and recorder, perhaps to show that he played both instruments. In front of them a cat sings to its own music. A caption beneath implies that the music would have been very pretty if the cat had not wanted to sing its part.
Frontispiece: Storia della Musica … (1757), by Giovan Battista Martini, published Bologna, Italian. Ref. Capri in Fabbri (?date, 3: 230); Angelo Zaniol ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A decorative border includes straight trumpets, violin, lute, syrinx, triangle (with rings) and a bass recorder with bocal entering the top of the windcap and an ornate flared bell.
Title Page: Storia Della Musica, Tomo Terzo … by Giovan Battista Martini, Bologna (1781), border decoration, Italian. Bologna: Civico Museo Bibliografico. Ref. Avanzini (1995: 25 - b&w). The border decoration comprises musical instruments, including violin, oboes, lute, syrinx, trumpet and a bass recorder. The latter has a bocal entering the top of the windcap and a widely flared bell. The window/labium and several finger-holes can be seen.
Music Table (late 18th century). Milan: Sforza Castle Gallery. A music table with music stands along the back, five fluted legs. The entire surface (8-9' long and 2-3') wide is covered with intarsia decorations. The musical instruments depicted include two soprano-sized baroque recorders, a cittern, two tenor-sized 1-keyed flutes, viola, oboe, trombone and a natural horn. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Two Flautists (16th or 18th century), oil on panel, 76 × 63 cm, after Giorgione. Vercelli: Museo Borgogna, Cat. 112. Ref. Rowland-Jones (1997d: 51, fig. - b&w); Paolo Biordi (pers. comm., 2000). Depicts two shepherds who each hold a duct-flute (possibly a recorders, judging from the flared bell of one of them): one a coarse-swarthy man in a leather jerkin (a real shepherd), the other an androgynous personage dressed in classical style (an Arcadian, pretend shepherd). Their instruments point away from each other and they do not converse – a parody of pretend pastoralism. They inhabit different worlds (Rowland-Jones, pers. comm.)
[Title unknown] (18th century), ? marble statue, ca 1 m high, Italian. Palermo: Villa Tasca (owned by Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Amerita). Ref. Medici (1989: 175); a cookery book (details unknown - fig.); Constance Scholten (pers. comm. 2005). A naked boy plays a soprano duct-flute (almost certainly a recorder, in perfect fingering position – beak, window, and slight bell flare are all clear). It is in Canova style, but the artist and date are unknown. The statue stands in a corner, the walls of which are covered in trompe l'oeil wallpaper.
Trophies (early 18th century), partly gilded relief, Italian. Bergamo: Palazzo Terzi, Salla della Musica. Ref. Charles Rowland-Jones (2003, pers. comm.) 12-15 panels with trophies in low relief including a mixture of musical instruments (appropriately) and miliatary paraphernalia (less appropriately). Two panels show recorders. The reliefs are in a pale colour and partly gilded. One shows a complete baroque soprano recorder with the usual turnery, its window/labium and finger-holes all present and correct, including a single offset hole for the lowermost (little) finger. Two panels away, the head end of a similar recorder sticks out from the lower part of that trophy, visible as far as the beginning of the window/labium.
Man with a Sword and a Boy Musician (18th century), painting, Italian (Veneto). Location unknown: auctioned 11/06/2002 (unsold) [Possibly Sotheby's Sale MI0201, Old Master Paintings, Milan]. Ref. Website: Gabrius Databank (2007 - col.) A man holding a sword over his shoulder gazes proudly at us. Beside and slightly behind him, a young boy pipes on a slender, cylindrical duct-flute, possibly a recorder.
Musical Company (18th century), oil on canvas, Italian (Lombard). Ref. Website: Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) A caricature of a band of musicians around a table who play cello, bass, trumpet, horn, bassoon, violin, and clarinet. On the ground, in front of the table, a small monkey plays a cylindrical duct-flute. A pendant offered for sale with this shows a group of singers around a harpsichord in front of which a poodle joins in.
Ceiling decoration (18th century), Italian. Mantua: Palazzo Ducale, Second Tapestry Room. A woman sings from music, holding a recorder with seven holes (the little finger-hole possibly slightly offset), the window/labium area of which is not clear. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Stucco trophy (18th century), Italian. Venice: Querini Stampalia Museum, 2nd floor, 'Green Room'. Stucco trophy with lute, two trumpets, three small ? recorder bodies and the upper half of a recorder seen from below, showing the mouthpiece and block, turned joint, and thumbhole. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Stucco trophies (18th century), Italian. Venice: Querini Stampalia Museum, 2nd floor, 'Print Room'. Nine complete recorders are depicted in seven trophies. They are all one-piece instruments with a slight bell flare, with decorated turning on some. One shows the thumbhole as well as finger-holes. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm.)
Still-life with Musical Instruments, Flowers and Fruit (18th century), canvas, 107 × 147 cm, Italian (Bergamo School). Location unknown: sold by Mes Perrin, Chapelle, Fermantin, Versailles at Palais des Congrès, 8 June 1974. Ref. Sale catalogue: photograph (1974); Paris RIdIM (2000). Beneath a hanging, fringed drape is a cloth-covered table on top of which lie a violin, a guitar, a lute, an ornate box, some papers, a book, a plate of peaches and a bunch of flowers. To the left a man holds a small flared-bell duct-flute (probably a recorder) in his left hand. The beak, window/labium of the latter and two finger-holes are clearly visible, and there may be a maker's mark just below the window.
Pastorale (18th century), 80 × 60 cm, Italian (Venetian School). Private collection: exhibited at the Biennale des Antiquaires, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence (1967). Ref. Paris RIdIM (2000). A country family are gathered around a trough from which sheep are drinking as a woman pours water from a pail. Behind her a young woman fills another pail from a well. To the left a man holds a crook, a woman beside and slightly behind him. In the bottom right hand corner a young boy plays a long, cylindrical pipe, probably a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder).
Four trophies on decorated organ case (18th century), gilded woodcarving, Italian. Monreale (Sicily): San Martino delle Scale (Abbazia Benedettino). Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). The organ was made by Faffaele la Vallee (1594), but the case is late baroque. It is not mentioned in any guide book. The trophies are situated beneath the architrave near the top of the organ-case. The second trophy from the left shows a shawm crossed with a recorder. The latter has a very curved beak and a clearly window/labium and appears to be in three jointed sections with baroque turning. The middle sections shows two finger-holes above the crossed shawm and two below with one finger-hole in the foot-joint. There is a very slight flare to the bell end with more turnery at the bell. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000).
Landscape with Sleeping Shepherd (18th century), Italian (Roman School). Italy: Private Collection. Ref. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001). A sleeping shepherd holds in his right hand a soprano recorder with a clear beak, a considerable bell- and bore-flare, and double holes close to the foot.
Allegory of Music (18th century), oil on canvas, Italian (Bolognese). Ref. Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) A decorative panel with three oval frames depicting a woman playing a violin, an angel dancing, and a man playing a ? lute respectively. Along the top margin of the panel and hanging down the sides is a tasselled drape. Around and between the oval frames are flowers, and musical instruments. The latter include lute, trumpet, violin, tambourine, and two narrowly conical pipes (cornetts, or duct-flutes).
Circle of Dancing Putti (early 18th century), canvas, 61 × 109 cm, Italian (Bolognese School). Location unknown: sold by Kohn-Druoust Richelieu, Salles 5 & 6, 30 October 1996, lot 36. Ref. Sale Catalogue (1996: 36). A circle of putti dance to music played by two of their company who play drum and a cylindrical pipe which is played two-handed and looks like a recorder, though the beak is in shadow and no finger-holes are visible.
Freize, stone carving (? 1770), Italian. Noto (Sicily): Palazzo di Giustizia, facade. Nicolai Villadorata Palace Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A trophy centre-right depicts a horn crossed with a cylindrical recorder with a distinctive beak and window/labium.
Designs with instruments (?18th century), ink drawing, 24.8 × 24.7 cm, Italian. Cleveland: Museum of Art, 27.337. Ref. Ford (1991: #253). "The four corners of the drawing depict column capitals; at the bottom, writing appears. Upper left: a jingle ring, four treble shawms or trumpets (mouthpieces not visible), a coiled horn (bell not visible), what appears to be the mouthpiece of a double-reed instrument, and what may be the fontanelle and bell of a basset recorder. Lower right corner: four shawms or trumpets (only bells visible). (If indeed shawms and a recorder are among the instruments, this may suggest that the drawing dates from the 17th century.) The writing at the bottom is indistinct but may be transcribed as follows: 'Levare La Cantonata no. 1 con Levare La colonna nell angolo e porni &hellp; di sotto un co … iglia e S. … Una Maschera'" (Ford, loc. cit.) This implies that the F bass (ie basset) recorder had gone out of use by 1700. This was certainly not the case!
The Fluteplayer (18th century), oil on canvas, 68.3 × 55 cm, Italian. Location unknown: auctioned Phillips, London (2001). Ref. Phillips auction catalogue (2001: 37, pl. 33 - col.); Gabrius Data Bank, OMP (2002 - col.) A youth viewed side-on plays a flared bell recorder, the beak, window/labium and four finger-holes for the lowermost hand of which are clearly visible.
Tavern Scene (18th century), Italian. Ref. Gabrius Data Bank (2002 - b&w). Before a tavern, a seated man smoking listens to peasant boy playing a small cylindrical pipe (possibly a recorder) and a man playing the hurdy gurdy.
Musical Angels (18th century), fresco, Italian (Cremona). Monticelli d'Ongina: Chiesa Collegiata di San Lorenzo. Ref. Genesi (1995: 18-28, fig. 5). One of two oval panels depicting musical angels who sing and play violin, viol, lute, trombone, flute and recorder. The latter is described by Genesi (loc. cit.) as a cornetto, but the beaked mouthpiece, the position of the hands, and the relaxed mouth are more characteristic of the recorder.
Music-making on a Castle Terrace (Allegory of Hearing) (18th century), oil on canvas, 119 × 73 cm, Italian (Piedmont). Auctioned: Old Master Paintings, Dorotheum, Vienna, 12 June 2001, Lot 17. Ref. Website: International Auctioneers (2006 - col.) A female singer is accompanied by a man in a black velvet suit and red socks playing a baroque tenor recorder, and a woman playing a harpsichord.
Interior with Putti Making Music and Dancing around a Fire, oil on canvas, 60.8 × 131.1 cm, Italian (Venetian). Location unknown: Sotheby's (London, Olympia) Sale WO6717, Old Master Paintings, 25 April 2006, Lot 396 (sold). Ref. Catalogue, Sotheby's Sale W0617 (2007: Lot 396 - col.); Gabrius (2007 - col.) Seven putti gambol in front of an open fire. One plays a tambourine (with jingle rings), another plays a slenderly conical pipe with a flared bell (possibly a recorder).
Angel Playing a Flute (18th century), Italy (Rome). Location unknown: auctioned 05/07/2006 (unsold) Ref. Gabrius Data Bank (2007 - col.) A young angel sits on the pedestal of a pillar overlooking a river playing a cylindrical pipe, probably intended to represent a recorder since the fingers and thumb are disposed as for playing that instrument.
Pastoral Landscape, with a Shepherd Playing a Pipe and a Girl Dancing (18th century), oil on canvas, 74.2 × 108 cm, North Italian. Location unknown: Sotheby's (London, Olympia) Sale W04705, Old Master Paintings, 20 April 2004, Lot 381 (sold). Ref. Catalogue Sotheby's (London, Olympia) Sale W04705 (2004: Lot 381 - col.) Holding her apron out in front of her, a woman dances to music played by a shepherd on a tenor-sized conical pipe with a hole for the little finger of the lowermost (left) hand, and a small hole which may indicate the window/labium of a recorder. Behind them, another woman does some washing in a trough, and a there is a cow and some sheep.
Flute Player (18th century), oil on canvas, 50.5 × 38.9 cm, Italian Chambéry: Musée des Beaux-arts, Inv. M 1332. Ref. Joconde (2007 - col.) A young man holding a stout duct-flute turns to look at us over his shoulder. Only the head of the instruments is visible.

Polish

Angel Musicians (ca 1755), wood carving, Poland. Olobok: T Peter's and St Paul's Cathedral, Choir Loft, top of organ case. Ref. Bowles (2002): 231,pl. 248 - b&w). An angel musician bangs away on timpani. On his right side a smaller angel musician plays straight trumpet (right); on his left one holds a flared-bell recorder, which seems to be in two parts.

Portuguese

Theatre of Human Life, baroque tiles of the period of D. João V (1744-1749), Portuguese. évora: Universidade de évora: Humanities Classroom (Room 107). Possibly from Bartolomeu Antunes' atelier in Lisbon, based on the Moral Theatre of Human Life and all the Philosophy of Ancient and Modern Sages. Allegorical scenes in proto-Classical surroundings, in which Oratory, Description, Rhetoric, History, Poetry and Chronology are figured. At each side of the central stage are musicians. Those on the left play viol and an ambiguous pipe; those on the right sing and play lute and an identical pipe.
Stucco decoration (18th century), Portuguese. Queluz (between Sintra and Lisbon): Palácio de Queluz, Coach Room. Ref. Charles Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). One of the decorative ridges includes a pipe of some sort.
Gilded panels (18th century), Portuguese. Porto: Sé Catedral), panels above choir stalls at join with the choir wall. Ref. Charles Rowland-Jones (pers. comm. 2000). Depicts groups of musical instruments in decorative form, possibly including recorders.

Romanian

The Birth of Christ (1730), wall painting, Romanian. Saraca-Timis: Church. Ref. RIdIM/RCMI Newsletter 22 (1): 25, fig. 3 (b&w - detail). A shepherd seated with his crook under his right arm plays a long slender duct-flute (caval). Another below him holds what looks like a vase.

Russian

Mercury and Argus (late 18th- to early 19th-century), oil on canvas, Russian. Sibirskaya: Chelyabinsk Region Picture Gallery. Ref. 'Shining Russia: The Golden age of the Russian Classical Culture'. Mercury, standing, holds a conical pipe with which he has just lulled Argus to sleep. The latter slumps on a bank, watched by Io (as a heifer).

Slovenian

Musical Putto, fresco, Slovenia (early 18th century). Ljubljana: Stolnica svetega Nikolaja [Cathedral of St Nicholas], St George' Side Chapel. The frescoes in this chapel include putti playing are probably by a student of North-Italian artist Giulio Quaglio (1668-1751), a native from Laino near Como who was engaged to paint the cathedral's vault and walls between 1703-1706 and 1721-1723. A putto seated on a cloud plays a small cylindrical pipe with a markedly flared foot, his hands, fingers and thumb disposed suitably for recorder-playing. In other side chapels putti play clearly depicted violins, cornetto, cellos and harp, as well as an ambiguous pipe (see below).
Musical Putto, fresco, Slovenia (early 18th century). Ljubljana: Stolnica svetega Nikolaja [Cathedral of St Nicholas], St Trinity's Side Chapel. The frescoes in this chapel depict scenes from the Old Testament, including Aaron and King David) and are probably by a student of North-Italian artist Giulio Quaglio (1668-1751), a native from Laino near Como who was engaged to paint the cathedral's vault and walls between 1703-1706 and 1721-1723. A putto seated on a cloud plays a small cylindrical pipe with a markedly flared foot, his hands and fingers disposed suitably for recorder-playing, but his thumb not visible. Since the piper blows the instrument from the corner of his mouth this may well have been intended to represent a mute cornet, but a recorder remains a possibility. In other side chapels putti play clearly depicted violins, cornetto, cellos, harp, and recorder (see above).

Spanish

From Trujillo del Perú (1780-1790), by Baltasar Jaime Martínez Compañon y Bujanda, Danza de Carnestolendas, pen & ink and watercolour, Spanish/Peru (18th-century). Madrid: Biblioteca del Palacio Real. Ref. Compañon (1985: fig. 146); Jordan (2007: 48-49, fig. 2 - b&w); Biblioteca Virtual Miguel De Cervantes (2008 - col.) One of 1,411 coloured drawings, part of a nine-volume study made by Comañon (?1735-1790), a Spanish prelate, during the pastoral visit he undertook from 1780-1785, on his appointment as Bishop of Trjillo, Peru. The report (not published in his liftime) covers flora, fauna, history geography, architecture, administration, education, agriculture, crafts, the arts, costume, and leisure. The second volume even has a substantial linguisic component, providing a glossary in eight indigenous languages. A number of illustrations deal with music and dance. In these, quite distinct cultures are evident – native, negro, European. In this example, six young men in courtly costumes, execute a formal dance in a court-yard. Strangely, these characters are barefoot. One plays a mandolin, two play what appear to be duct-flutes, possibly recorders though no details of the window-labium are shown. Two more play what appear to be slide whistles, the plungers clearly depicted, while the sixth has his back turned. Other illustrations include vihuela, guitar, harp, lute, viol, violin, pipe and tabor, marimba, cymbal, shakers, gourd scraper, pan-pipes, cornetto. Of these the most frequently depicted is the pipe and tabor. The drawings were probably not by Compañon himself but by an anonymous artist or artists.
Untitled (? early 18th century), vaulted ceiling fresco, Spanish. Granada: Monastery church of San Jéronimo (now a convent), nave, western bay. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). An angel with two angel instrumentalists one of whom plays lute, the other a beaked recorder. The mouthpiece of the latter is rather slender and the whole instrument very slightly outwardly conical to a non-flared bell. A mark near the top could, with imagination, represent a window/labium, and two marks between the hands could be finger-holes, though they are not quite in line. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Untitled (? early 18th century), vaulted ceiling fresco, Spanish. Granada: Monastery church of San Jéronimo (now a convent), cloister, south-western door. Ref. Anthony & Charles Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). An angel plays a large, thick pipe with a bocal entering the side near the top of the instrument which may represent a basset recorder. There is a double ring near the top suggesting a joint for a removable cap, though no window-labium is visible, nor any finger-holes. A bulging area near the foot could represent a fontanelle, but no key is visible. There is a decorative incised ring at the bell end. On a nearby spandrel another angel plays a baroque violin.
Stucco decoration, Spanish. Aranjuez: Palacio Real, Ball Room. Two baroque three-piece turned alto recorders and a violin lie on top of pages of music manuscript.
Still-life (18th century), Spanish. Paris: sold by Vente Galleria, 30 March 1965. Ref. Paris RIdIM (1999). A jumble of flowers and fruit , a violin, a lute and a tiny monkey holding in one hand a slender flared-bell recorder almost as large as himself.
[Pastorale] (? 18th century), painting, Spanish. Location unknown. Ref. Warburg Institute, London. On the edge of a clearing in a leafy forest, two peasants rest. One, seated, plays a flared-bell recorder with decorative rings on the foot. His companion, leans against his staff.
Trophies with musical instruments (18th century), Spanish. Murcia: Cathedral de Santa Maria, pilasters on either side of the West Front facade. Ref.Centre for Music Documentation (CMD), Madrid (2001); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2001, 2002). The pilasters include several trophies with musical instrument, some of them rather imaginative. One shows the underneath of the upper part of a duct-flute (flageolet or recorder) up to the thumb hole, the rest of the instrument is hidden behind a scroll; another shows a clear duct-flute (probably a recorder) with details of the beak, window/labium, several finger-holes and a turned foot clearly depicted; a third shows the underneath of the upper part of a flageolet with two thumb-holes, the rest of the instrument is hidden behind a scroll.

Swedish

Clavichord lid (1753), painting, Swedish. ängsö, Västmanland (Sweden): clavichord lid. Ref. RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A trophy made up of many crudely painted musical instruments: drum, triangle (with 3 jingle rings), hurdy-gurdy, lyre, 2 folded trumpets, bassoon or curtal, and 2 recorders. Only the recorders' heads are shown, in side profile so the characteristic beak can be seen. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
A Man Making Music (18th century), painted wall paper, Swedish. Borås: Borås Museum. Ref. RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). This picture is very damaged so details are unclear. A man plays a long wind instrument, thin and slightly outwardly concical with a gently turned-up bell end. But the figure of the man himself is elongated. The head of the recorder is just away from the man's lips, the beak is curved, a window/labium is possibly visible beneath the damage. There are three (possibly four) upper finger-holes. The left hand seems to be clutching the instrument. No holes are visible in the elongated bell. The artist may have had a tenor recorder in mind. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Musical Company (p. 1736), painting on inside of rectangluar clavichord lid, Swedish. Stockholm: Musikhistoriska Museet, 2215 (1942). Ref. RIdIM Stockholm (2000); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Musicians play harpsichord, harp, cello and two alto recorders, very clearly depicted. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)
Recorder Player, painted wooden panel, Sweden (18th century). Habo (15 km NW of Jönköping): Kyrka. Habo Church is a large red-painted wooden building, rebuilt in 1716 and enlarged in 1721-1723, decorated with vividly colored ceiling and wall paintings on biblical themes in rustic baroque style. Two Jönköping painters, Johan Kinnerius and Johan Christian Peterson painted panels illustrating Luther's catechism. A series of panels depict women playing or holding musical instruments, amongst them violin, harp, straight trumpet, flute, lyre and recorder. The later is a clearly depicted baroque-style instrument.

Swiss

Tambourin Player (early 18th century), oil and/or gouache on glass, 31.5, × 23.7 cm, Swiss (Lucerne). Paris: National Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts, 61.10.89. Ref. Website: Joconde Database (1999). A copy of a tableau in the Museum, Basle. Depicts a soldier playing a duct-flute (?three-holed pipe) and drum, Not seen.
Guitar, Recorder, and Oblong Book of Music, cup and saucer, porcelain 4.4 × 9.8 × 7.9 cm (cup), 2.2 × 14.2 cm (saucer), Swiss (Noyon). Chicago: Art Institute, 1964.1155a&b. Ref. Ford (1987: #227). Not seen

Provenance unknown

Recorder Player, (ca 1705), painting, artist & provenance unknown. Haslemere: Dolmetsch Musical Instruments. Ref. Bergmann (1966: 85); Oler (1966: 85); Tibia (1994: front cover - col.); Recorder & Music Magazine 2(2): front cover - b&w (1966); Lasocki (1977); Postcard: Dolmetsch Musical Instruments. Recorder Magazine 21(3): front cover (col.) Shows an alto baroque recorder with ivory mounts held by a wigged male musician, once thought to have been the composer Schickhardt. The red book is titled Corelli's Solos for the Flute (at that time meaning the recorder).
[Title unknown], (?1730), artist & provenance unknown. Ref. Landon & Norwich (1991: title page). A man on a balcony seen in side profile next to a lutenist plays a flared recorder with an elongated beak. Possibly by Pellegrini (Rowland-Jones, pers com.)
Porcelain figure, artist & provenance unknown. Ref. Advertisement for Fehr Recorders Early Music 15(4): 567 (1987). A girl plays a baroque-style recorder with one hand holding an apron full of apples with the other, a lamb at her feet.
[Concert], engraving, artist & provenance unknown. Ref. Hunt (1968: 255). Depicts a chamber ensemble comprising a singer accompanied by recorder, flute, bassoon and harpsichord players.
[Title unknown], engraving, artist & provenance unknown. Ref. Clemencic (1968: frontispiece - b&w). Depicts a clavichord above which is a rococo garland with musical instruments – flute, lute, violin and a baroque turned, three-piece alto recorder.
Itinerant Musician, ? pen & ink, artist & provenance unknown. Ref. Weir (1981: 5 - b&w). An old man sitting on a wall leans on his stick and plays a small flared pipe (possibly a recorder, since all the fingers of the lower hand are covering holes).
[Still-life], ? 18th century, artist unknown. Location unknown. Ref. CD Cover: Pierre Gautier de Marseille: Symphonies, La Simphonie du Marais [Hugo Reyne], Astreée Auvidis CD [DDD] E 8637. A lute, a violin and a baroque recorder with ivory beak and mounts lie scattered on a table
Untitled, ivory carving, (? 18th century), artist unknown. Brunswick: Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum. Ref. Brunswick Museum Ivory Collection Catalogue (1931); Munich RIdIM (1999). Two children with pipes, possibly recorders. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Polyphemus (? 18th century), print, artist unknown. Brunswick: Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, BSm - 427). A rather roughly drawn print showing Ulysses' men blinding Polyphemus with his sheep around him. On the ground under his left hand is a duct-flute (possibly a recorder) with a sharply flared bell end. The window/labium is clear and five finger-holes show. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
[Portrait of a Musician] (? 18th century), painting, artist and provenance unknown. Ref. Walter Bergmann, Slide Collection WB50 (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm. 2003 - b&w). A young musician poses with his right hand in his jacket; his left, leaning against a small table, holds a furled music manuscript. Further along the table, an alto baroque recorder (the head hidden) lies on top of a legible sheet of music.

19th Century

English

Concert ticket (early 19th century), London. Ref. Warwick (1968: 128, pl. (b&w). Two women stand each side of a central column playing lyre and what looks like a straight trumpet or shawm held with one hand. Beside them on the left lie tympani, a cello and a transverse flute and one-piece, flared bell recorder crossed. On the right lie violins, trumpet, horn and another transverse flute.
Cherub with a Pipe (1860s), porcelain figurine, ca 75 cm high. Antique Shop, UK. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). Stamped 'EBS 808'. The cherub's pipe is a clear duct-flute played with all fingers down (ie including both little fingers!) Below the lowermost hand is a mark showing one hole, offset from the line of the fingers. It is of soprano size (or a little larger) and cylindrical.
Portrait of a Child Holding an Ivory Flute (19th century), pastel, 59.5 × 49.5 cm, England. Ref. Bonhams (Knightsbridge), Sale 14671 - British & Continental Pictures, 9 January 2007, Lot 183A. A young girl with long curly hair wearing a white smock holds a very narrowly conical duct-flute right-hand uppermost. The window/labium is vaguely discernable but the number of finger-holes is obscure.
Flauto dolce, or flûte à bec, Leighton, George C., Illustrated London News 56: 368 (1870). Illustrated dictionary. The Entry reads:
The Flauto dolce, or sweet flute, is called in English the Recorder.; in French is is the flüte à bec or beaked flute.
The tortoise-shell flauto dolce, or flageolet, belonged to the late illustrious composer Rossini; it is of the sevententh century.
This instrument by an unknown maker survives in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. It is covered in tortoise-shell and gold-piqué. See Hunt (1977: 94) and Thomson (1968 - photo).

French

Carved note-case (19th century), ivory, Dieppe, France. Dieppe: Castle Museum. Clearly shows upper part of a baroque recorder. The design could be derived form late 18th century carved wood or stone trophies or swags with musical instruments (Rowland-Jones, pers com.)
L'agréable leçon (The Pleasant Leson), copperplate-printed plain-weave cotton, 172.2 × 84 cm, Swiss. Chicago: Art Institute, 1979.292. Ref. Ford (1987: #352). "Various scenes: (1) A woman holds a coiled horn as if about to play it, and a man holds an object that is perhaps a flute or a recorder. (2) A boy plays a bagpipe. (3) A shepherdess blows into a small wind instrument fingered by a shepherd. (4) A putto holds a coiled horn. The decoration of an urn in a garden includes a putto playing a slightly curved horn" (Ford, loc. cit.)
Pastoral Scene (early 19th century)), woolwork picture, 41 × 51.5 cm, English. New York: Christies East, English Furniture and Decorative Arts, 23 October 2001, Lot 14. A pastoral scene depicting a gentleman playing the recorder to two listening ladies and their dog, within a period giltwood frame. Not seen
Trophy of Musical Instruments (1850s), gilded or painted wood, French. Paris: Louvre (Grand Salon). This trophy includes a mussette, a small lute, a tambourine and a transverse flute, the strongly flared bell ends of two other wind instruments and the beaked mouthpiece end of what could be a tenor recorder.
Trophy of Musical Instruments (1850s), gilded or painted wood, French. Paris: Louvre (Salon). The neighbouring Salon to the Grand Salon was used as a private theatre and is similarly decorated with lots of musettes and beaked ends of instruments sticking out of painted trophies. One has a syrinx as its centre-piece but shows a probably recorder with a beaked mouthpiece and turned ring, and, opposite the lower part with three finger-holes and another ring at the foot-joint followed by an elongated and moderately flared bell end of a tenor-sized instrument. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)

German

[Shepherd and Shepherdess] (ca 1800), Meissen porcelain figurine, 15 cm high, German. Sotheby's: Silver, Portrait Miniatures and Objects of Vertu, Ceramics, Works of Art, Furniture, Oriental Rugs, 24 July, 2000, Lot 472. Ref. Artfact 2004. From the 'Marcolini' period, ca 1800, later decorated. A girl seated on a goat with a fruiting vine draped across her lap, a boy standing beside her resting against a basket filled with bunches of grapes, playing a recorder, on an oval base, crossed swords and star in underglaze blue, impressed G93, some damage.
Family of the Elector Max IV Emanuel of Bavaria (1801), silhouette, Seitz. Munich: Bayerisches Nationalmuseum. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2002). The Elector later became Emperor Max I Emanuel. Above the portrait are five in-line shapes (lozenges, etc.) with ultra-miniature paintings within each of them. The central one of these shows a (?shepherd-)boy playing an alto-size pipe to a dancing spaniel with a long curly tail. His left hand is lowermost and the instrument has a slight bell flare, but further details are not possible to show at this scale.
Mercury and Argus, ink on paper, 27.5 × 21.2 cm, German. Heidelberg: Kurpfälzisches Museum Z 3437. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2003, HDkm - 199). On the left sits Mercury, a recorder in his hand; on the right is Argus; in the middle is Io as a heifer.
Shepherdess (ca 1820), Volkstedt porcelain figurine, 14 cm high, German. New York: Christie's, Fine French Furniture and European Ceramics, 17 November 1999, Lot 461. Ref. Artfact (2004). Crossed fork mark and incised 2789 at the back. Wearing pink hat and striped skirt, holding a recorder and her apron in her right hand, a posey in her left, the apron filled with flowers, a lamb recumbent at her left, on gilt-enriched rocaille base.
Still-life, ink on paper, 9.9 × 16.4 cm, German. Frankfurt: Museum für angewandte Kunst, Inv. L.St. 515, fol. S2. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, Fmk - 194). Still life of scissors, tape, needles, books, halberd and recorder. Not seen.
The Violinist Jean Joseph Bott as a Boy (ca 1836), oil on canvas, 59 × 50 cm, German. Kassel: Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Inv. LM 1933/313. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, Kksg - 73). The violinist plays, but a soprano recorder lies in front of him on music by Spohr for two violins. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Children (ca 1880), 2 Meissen porcelain figurines, 15 cm high, German. London: Christie's, British and Continental Ceramics, 4 October 2001, Lot 339. Ref. Artfact (2004). Both children are wearing eighteenth century dress, the boy playing a recorder, the girl holding grapes in her apron, on square gilt line bases, blue crossed swords marks (minor restoration).
Shepherd (ca 1880), Meissen porcelain figurine, 24.5 cm high, German. London: Christie's, 19th-century Ceramics, 2 November, 2000, Lot 234. Ref. Artfact (2004). Wearing a plumed hat, fur-lined puce cape, ruff and pale-blue flowered tunic and breeches, holding a wreath aloft, a recorder in his left hand, a seated hound at his feet, on a tree-stump mound base moulded with scrolls, blue crossed swords mark, incised 1305, Pressnummer 163, circa 1880 (some minor damages and restoration).
Shepherd and Shepherdess (mid-19th century), 2 Meissen figurines, 22.9 & 4.0 cm high, German. Chicago: Sotheby's, Centuries of Style, 18 October 1998, Lot 487. Ref. Artfact (2004). The shepherdess wearing a pink bodice and a striped skirt, playing a recorder and standing beside a recumbent lamb on an elaborate rocaille base, (some restoration), crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue, painter's numeral 25 in iron-red, impressed 69 and incised F 156; the shepherd wearing a magenta cloak over a blue costume, holding up a wreath of flowers and a recorder, and standing beside a brown seated dog (raised foreleg repaired) on a mound base edged in gilt-heightened scrolls, crossed swords mark in underglaze-blue, painter's numeral 41 in brown, impressed 143, incised 1305.
Monkey Band (19th century), Meissen porcelain figurines, the tallest 17 cm high, German. Melbourne: Christie's, Decorative Arts, 28 May 2001, Lot 76. Ref. Artfact (2004). Typically modelled and painted in colours comprising: a conductor, a French horn player, trumpeter, two cellists, boy piper, oboist, flautist, two recorder players, timparist carrier and drummer, hurdy gurdy player, guitarist, harpist, a pianist on a monkey's back and a choir of six singers, blue crossed swords mark, impressed numbers and various gilders numbers (minor losses and restoration).
Monkey Band (19th century), Meissen porcelain figurines, the tallest 17 cm high, German. Melbourne: Christie's, Decorative Arts, 28 May 2001, Lot 76. Ref. Artfact (2004). Typically modelled and painted in colours comprising: a conductor, a French horn player, trumpeter, two cellists, boy piper, oboist, flautist, two recorder players, timparist carrier and drummer, hurdy gurdy player, guitarist, harpist, a pianist on a monkey's back and a choir of six singers, blue crossed swords mark, impressed numbers and various gilders numbers (minor losses and restoration).
Shepherdess (19th century), Meissen porcelain figurine, German. New York: Christie's, Nineteeth Century Furniture, Sculpture and Ceramics, 31 May 2000, Lot 326. Ref. Artfact (2004). One of three figurines auctioned in this lot. A sherpherdess stands holding a recorder, her apron filled with apples, a ewe at her feet
Shepherdess (19th century), Meissen porcelain figurine, German. New York: Sotheby's Arcade, Silver, Decorations, Furniture, Rugs and Carpets, 27 January 1993, Lot 786. Ref. Artfact (2004). One of several items auctioned in this lot. A young woman wearing a yellow and purple floral dress, and playing a recorder, a lamb at her feet.
Shepherd (19th century), Meissen figurine, 25.5 cm high, London: Christie's, 19th Century British and Continental Ceramics, 1 July 1999, Lot 137. Lot 137 : A Meissen figure of a shepherd Ref. Artfact (2004). Wearing a plumed hat, a fur-lined puce cape and a pale-blue jacket and breeches, modelled standing before a tree stump holding a garland of flowers and a recorder, a seated hound at his feet, on a mound base moulded with scrolls, blue crossed swords mark, incised 1305, Pressnummer 143, circa 1880 (some minor damages, the dog with the raised paw broken and repaired).
Musicians (19th century), Meissen porcelain figurines, 25.5 cm high, German. London: Christie's, 19th Century British and Continental Ceramics, 1 July 1999, Lot 139. Ref. Artfact (2004). A shepherd and shepherdess, wearing eighteenth century dress: he playing bagpipes and standing with a hound and sheep at his feet; she playing a recorder, with a lamb at her feet; both on tree stump mound bases moulded with scrolls, blue crossed swords marks, incised marks and Pressnummer, circa 1880 (some minor damages).
Musician (19th century), Meissen porcelain figurine, 13.5 cm high, German. London: Christie's, 19th-century British and Continental Ceramics, 19 November 1998, Lot 222. Ref. Artfact (2004). A boy wearing tricorn hat with grape garland, playing the recorder and standing before a jug filled with grapes, on gilt-line scroll-moulded base, blue crossed swords mark, incised marks and Pressnummern, late 19th century (chips).
Musicians (19th century), 2 Meissen porcelain figurines, German. Chicago: Leslie Hindman, American and continental furniture and Decorative Arts of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries, 14 May 1995, Lot 200. Ref. Artfact 2004. One depicting gentleman in 18th Century attire playing the cello, the other peasant playing a recorder.
Decorated Clock (19th century), Meissen porcelain, 37 cm high, German. London: Christie's, 19th-century British and Continental Ceramics, 19 November 1998, Lot 265. Ref. Artfact (2004). Modelled en rocaille with C-scroll clock case applied with flowers and surmounted with a figure of girl holding bunches of grapes, on rocky-moulded base with a figure of boy playing a recorder, a girl with a basket of fruit and another with a garland of flowers, on gilt-line scroll-moulded base, painted in shades of blue and gilt, blue crossed swords mark, incised 572 and Pressnummer, late 19th century (restoration and chips).
Figures Emblematic of Love (late 19th century), 2 Dresden porcelain figurines, 41.6 cm high, German. New York: Christie's, 19th Century Decorative Arts, 27 October 1998, Lot 113. Blue crossed lines, dot and C marks One group modelled as a gallant seated atop a rocky mound leaning against a tree-stump playing a recorder, below a confident receives a love-letter from a billing dove, while other standing and seated figures string floral garlands; the other group with a companion figure releasing a love bird above a similarly modelled group, raised on ribbon-tied circular bases painted with alternate panels of birds and flowers.
Musical Children, oil on canvas, 87 × 91 cm, (19th century). Brunswick: Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Inv. 661. Ref. Munich RIdIM (1999, BSm - 91, as 17th century). Three children play music, one in rear view. The boy in the middle holds a small duct-flute with five finger-holes which does not seem to be a recorder. Notes by Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 1999).
Children (late 19th / early 20th century), 5 Meissen porcelain figurines, the tallest 13 cm high, German. New York, Christie's, Nineteeth Century Furniture, Sculpture and Ceramics, 31 May 2000, Lot 318. Ref. Artfact (2004). Blue crossed swords marks, two with incisions, various incised and impressed cyphers to all. Each modelled standing on rocaille moulded bases, the boy playing the recorder and the boy in a black hat outside-decorated, the two girls and third boy holding flowers.
A Musician and a Gardener (late 19th / early 20th century), 2 Meissen porcelain figurines, 13.3 cm, German. New York: Sotheby's, Arcade Furniture and Decorations, 9 July 1998, Lot 230. Ref. Artfact (2004). Each modeled as a young boy standing barefoot on a domed base with gilt scroll border: the first playing a recorder and with a wooden churn of grapes on the ground behind him; the second wearing a floral jacket and resting his left foot on a spade, (minor chips and losses), crossed swords factory marks in underglaze blue, incised, painted and impressed numerals.
[Children] (late 19th / early 20th century), Meissen porcelain figurine, 14,3 cm high, German. Bolton Skinner, English and Continental Furniture and Decorations including Silver, 7 October 2000, Lot 383. Ref. Artfact (2004). A young boy and girl with a goat, the boy playing a recorder, the girl with a grape vine, on ovoid base.
Musicians, 5 Meissen porcelain figurines, 12.7-13.7 cm high, German. Chicago: Sotheby's, Centuries of Style, 18 October 1998, Lot 551. Ref. Artfact (2004). Each wearing a colorful costume, comprising two figures of a barefoot boy playing a recorder and standing beside a seated dog on a gilt-edged scroll-molded base, (the slightly smaller version with hands and instrument repaired); a bassoonist and a flutist (repaired through legs, and hands and flute restored), each standing on a gilt-heightened scroll-molded base; and a triangle-player from the 'Madchenkapelle Series,' standing barefoot on a flower-applied mound base; crossed sword marks in underglaze-blue, various painter's, impressed and incised numerals.
Three Musicians (late 19th / 20th century), Meissen porcelain figurines, the tallest 15.5 cm high, German. New York: Christie's, Nineteeth Century Furniture, Sculpture and Ceramics, 31 May 31 2000, Lot 327. Ref. Artfact (2004). Blue crossed swords marks, various incised, impressed and painted cyphers The first modelled as a bagpiper, a hound and a ewe at his feet; the second a shepherd playing a recorder a hound below; the third a seated maiden with violin.
Grape Pickers (19th / 20th century), 2 Meissen porcelain figurines, 15.2 cm high, German. London: Bonhams, Fine 19th & 20th Century Furniture, Sculpture & Ceramics, 25 May 25 1995, Lot 212. Ref. Artfact (2004). Standing upon upturned half barrels, each before either a jug or basket containing fruit he playing a recorder, she dancing, upon finely scrolled circular bases.
Mercury and Argus, ink wash on paper, 27.5 × 21.2 cm, German. Heidelberg: Kurpfälzisches Museum, Inv. Z 3437. Ref. Munich RIdIM (2009, HDkm - 1990). Mercury sits to right, holding a recorder. Argus is to the right. In the middle is Io, amongst the trees. Designed in the nature of an ancient stone carving. Not seen.

Italian

Allegory of the Grape Harvest (ca 1800), oil on metal, 42 × 56 cm, Italian (Neapolitan). Mantua: Private Collection; currently offered for sale by Bigli, Milan. Ref. Bigli (2003 - col.) The back of the canvas is annotated "Fi…o", and the painting is in the style and of the quality of works by the Lombard painter Filippo Comerio (1747-1829). Scantily clad women play triangular harp and double pipe. A putto cuddles the piper, another dances with a goblet of wine held high, and a third sits playing a flared-bell pipe, possibly a duct-flute.

Russian

The Bear and the Goat, from Russian Pictorial Broadsheets (1881), printed from the original wood-block and hand-coloured, Russian. Location unknown: sold at The Sporting D'Hiver, Monte Carlo, Sotheby Parke Bernet, Monaco, 28 November - 1 December 1975, No. 177. Ref. Paris RIdIM (2000). Part of the Diaghilev-Lifar Library, the property of Serge Lifar. An anthropmorphic bear in a frilly collar with tassels and a feathered hat plays a cylindrical duct-flute with a broad, turned foot, all four of the fingers of his lowermost (left) paw seem to be employed covering their holes, and the thumb of his uppermost (right) paw seems to be in an excellent thumbing position. He is watched by an equally anthropmorphic goat in a magnicent dress with tassels matching the bear's and bells on her horns who is playing the spoons in both front hooves.

Swedish

Portrait of Philip Erik Trozelli (1824-1856), oil, 19th century, Swedish. Björnsnäs (östergötland). Ref. RIdIM Stockholm (2000, photo SPA 1922:1767); Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2000). A young lad in a lace collar holds a small duct-flute (probably a recorder) in his left hand. The instrument is clearly depicted with a turned ring above the window/labium and four finger-holes below the clutching hand. The body is slightly conical terminating in another turned ring and a short straight-sided bell flare. Notes by Rowland-Jones (loc. cit.)

20th Century

English

Coat of Arms of the Vernon Family, woven altar frontal. Bakewell (Derbyshire): Haddon Hall, Chapel. Ref. Walter Bergmann Collection (ex Anthony Rowland-Jones, pers. comm., 2001: print - b&w; 2006: colour slide); Hunter (1966: 18 - b&w). Two recorders in the shape of a chevron, in a dark colour on a blue field containing eight 'crosses crosslet' in gold, beside other armorial bearings of the Rutland and Vernon families. The recorders are an allusion to the Pype family and appear in heraldic devices associated with the Vernon family as early as 1467, in Tong (Shropshire) and Bakewall (Derbyshire) – see above. The recorders, seen in side-profile, have unusually large flared feet, and the characteristic beaks of both and the window/labium of one are clearly depicted. This is clearly a modern work with a kind of "Women's Institute" character about it.
Dust Jacket: Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Fifth Edn. (1954), English. Ref. Blom (1954). A trophy of musican instruments comprising harp, horn, cittern, serpent, viol and baroque-style bass recorder with a bocal and one key, against a leafy background.
Mr Bubbles: Philip plays some charming tunes!, cartoon strip, English (1971). Ref. Sparky 347 (14 August 1971), D.C. Thomson & Co., London. The comic Sparky was totally politically incorrect, anarchic, surreal, comically violent – and fun. As well as 'Mr Bubbles' (a bubble imp who lives in a plastic bottle and every time someone squeezes it he pops out and grants them three wishes), Sparky gave us 'Keyhole Kate','Wee Tusky','Hungry Horace','Baron von Reisch Pudding' 'Invisible Dick', and a tyrannical editor just called 'Sir'. It's back cover featured a strip called Some Mummies do Have 'Em, about Egyptian mummies coming to life after the museum has closed.

In this two page story, Philip's father asks him to collect some sticks from the wood to tie up his Chrysanthemums. Inadvertently he puts the sticks he gathers on top of Mr Bubbles' bottle and asked what wish he wants granted replies "Coo I wish I could play my recorder like a snake charmer and the sticks would follow me home." Philip's recorder is a peculiar cylindrical model with an oddly bulbous foot, but it works well enough as the sticks follow him home. So too does Farmer Clark's Bull. Philip wishes he could charm all animals with his recorder playing. And so he does! More farm animals, and most of the town's pets follow him home. When he turns around he is appalled at the gathering of beasts who are fighting amongst each other, breaking all the sticks, and making an utter mess of his father's garden. Philip's final wish is for all the animals to go away again. His irate father sends him back to the wood to collect some more sticks. The last we see of him Philip strolls off tooting his recorder. Will his experience repeat itself?
[Two girls] (20th century), English. Location unknown, formerly Helen Neale. Ref. Walter Bergmann ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2003). A rather twee depiction in Kate Greenaway style of two girls sitting close together, one holding a recorder.
[Boy with a Recorder] (20th century), charcoal on paper, English. Location unknown. Ref. Walter Bergmann ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2003). A young boy plays a neo-baroque recorder, only the head and upper body of which can be seen. The work is signed, but illegibly so: it reads something like "Youil Ferrony".

Finnish

1,50 mark stamp (20th century), Finnish. Three children, standing, play recorders.

French

Musicians, mural (fresco), late 20th century, French. Detail. Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) : Hall de la Maison de la Culture, boulevard François Mitterrand. Ref Matte (2005, col.) A pastiche in which musicians play from a balcony and on the steps of a building. The stylized images are taken from a variety of sources that will be familiar to readers of Recorder Iconography There are at least 2 recorder players to be seen.

German

Children (ca 1900), 2 Meissen porcelain figurines, 12.7 cm to 14.3 cm, German. San Francisco: Butterfields Auctioneers, English and Continental Furniture and Decorations, 26 March 1996, Lot 2842. Ref. Artfact (2004). Each figure is in eighteenth century dress. The first two figures are of a barefoot girl or boy carrying a basket of flowers, in tones of violet, mauve, and puce; the next a figure of a barefoot musician playing a recorder, a seated dog at his feet; the last a young gardener holding a rake, each wearing a long yellow jacket over a vest and mauve breeches. Each figure is raised on a gilt-highlighted scroll-molded circular base, underglaze blue crossed swords, impressed and incised numbers.
Children (20th century), 2 porcelain figurines, 19.8 & 21.6 cm, German. Bolton: Skinner, English and Continetal Furniture and Decorations including Silver, 7 October 2000, Lot 546. Ref. Artfact (2004). Pair of German Porcelain Figures of Children 20th century, comprising a figure of a girl with a dead bird, and a boy playing a recorder, both in 18th century style dress. holding flowers.
Logo (20th century), German. Advert for Alexander Heinrich Recorders. A logo in the style of a playing card with two busts jointed at the waist. One is an eighteenth century youth in a feathered cap and ruff; the other a modern lad in a polo-neck shirt. Each holds a recorder of modern design. There is a capital "A" in diagonally opposing corners, and the words "FLUTE A BEC" in each of the other opposing corners.
[Title unknown] (20th century), statue, sculptor unknown. Salzburg: Schloss Mirabell. Ref. Recorder & Music Magazine 3(5): 181 - b&w (1970). In full view of Salzburg's busiest thoroughfare, two naked young women play panpipe and triangle and a young man plays a neo-baroque recorder.
Hitler Youths (20th century), German. Two girls in Hitler Youth uniform play neo-baroque recorders of soprano and alto size.

Japanese

Biscuit tin (pre 1987), L. Madlon: Fruehling Assorted Cookies F-20, Japan. Perth (Australia): Collection N.S. Lander. A pastoral scene in which a young girl, seated, plays a flared-bell recorder.
Biscuit tin (pre 1987), Traeum T-15 Assorted Cookies, Japan. Perth (Australia): Collection N.S. Lander. Marketted by Myers, Melbourne, Australia. A pastoral scene in which a young girl, standing, plays a flared-bell recorder.

Netherlands

15c Postage Stamp (Christmas, 1964), Netherlands. A girl with a ponytail stands in front of a music stand playing a recorder.

USA

Advertisment for Kamel Cigarettes (ca 1920), USA. Ref. American Recorder 39(3): (1998). Stylised packaging of Kamel Red brand cigarettes (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco). Two sexy young girls sit back to back. One facing us smokes a cigarette; her companion plays a large (? alto) recorder of neo-baroque design.
[Title unknown] (ca 1983), drawing, artist unknown, ?USA. Ref. Advertisement for Thea Miller & Susan Andersen, Makers of Ancient Music Instruments, Early Music 11(2): 267 (1983). Mock medieval: A young woman sits playing a recorder by a stream watched by a large cat; there is a castle in the background.
Cover illustration from Song of the Gargoyle by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (1991), drawing, artist unknown, ?USA. Ref. Song of the Gargoyle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Dell Publishing, New York (1991). The book's cover shows the protagonist, 13-year old Tymmon – son of a court jester – playing a recorder to a mock-medieval noble audience.

21st Century

Dutch

Memorial stone: Jacob van Eyck (2006), stone relief, Dutch. Utrecht: Domplein. Ref. Jacob van Eyck Quarterly 1 (2007). In the run-up to the 350th anniversary of the carillonneur and recorder player Van Eyck's death (2007), the city of Utrecht made a conciliatory gesture. On the Domplein (Dom Square), not far from the foot of the Dom tower, the paving stones are now adorned with a memorial stone, which was unveiled on 3 July 2006. The plaque was the initiative of the present Dom carillonneur, Arie Abbenes, and musicologist Thiemo Wind. Suitably, the tablet has images of a hand-fluyt and a bell. The last two lines of Van Eyck's four-line epitaph are engraved at the bottom:

In mond en vingeren, en sherpheydt van gehoor:
In Fluyt, en Kokken-spel een aller eeuwen wonder

In mouth and fingers, sensitivity to hear:
In flute and carillon, a wonder second to none,
[Van Eyck, scion of the Baxes, lies beneath this stone;
What God took from his eye, he gave back in his ear]

English

Waitrose Pure Orange Juice (2001), printed waxed carton, English. Side of juice carton. Ref. Waitrose Ltd, Bracknell Berkshire food shops of the John Lews Partnership: bar code 5 000169 453520 (2001). A checkerboard pattern with an orange and a Ganassi-style recorder. the beak, window/labium and much-flared bell are clearly depicted. However, there are eight finger-holes.

German

Oiseau (ca 2000), drawing, artist unknown, German. Ref. Website: Music von Merkl. A bird stands on the end of a branch reading from a score held up by a branchlet whilst he plays his beak with one wing. His beak is shaped like the bottom part of a recorder with a slightly flared bell and six finger-holes.
Splash screen (2004), JPG files & dynamic HTML, German. Website: Ornamente 99 Fine Baroque Music, Karsten Eric Ose (2004-). A menu-system in the form of an interactive image based on a 17th-century vanitas, namely Pieter van Roestraten's Still-life with Musical Instruments (Gementemuseum, The Hague).

Italian

Euterpe (ca 2005), ? computer graphic, ? date, ? artist and/or provenance. Ref. Web-site: Corale Euterpe (2005). On a sheet of music manuscript paper, Euterpe lies amidst a panoply of instruments ancient and modern, including tympani, regal, harpsichord, virginal, organ, piano, harp, viol, lyre, mandoline, lute, violin, cello, double-bass, serpent, horn, trumpet, tuba, cor anglais, clarinet, flute, and a baroque-style alto recorder. There is a metronome and a music stand, too.

Spanish

Eaux-forte Musicales: Flûte à bec (2003), Watercolour, Spanish (Barcelona). Geneva: Aulos-Musica. Ref. Website: Aulos-Musica (2003). A neo-baroque style recorder lying across a page of music. One of a series of drawings of musical instruments.

USA

Logo: Boston Early Music Festival (before 2007), United States of America. Ref. Kathleen Fay (pers. comm., 2007); Recorder & Music (2007: 134). A black-on-white design in the form of a lute or harpsichord rose featuring a King playing a harp surrounded by musical instruments, including a horns, viols, citterns, and four baroque-style recorders.

Date and/or Provenance Unknown

Decorative panel, painted wood, Spanish (?date). Tordesillas: Iglesia de San Antolín. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) Amongst some twining flowers, two angels (one naked, one wearing a pink skirt) play slender conical pipes which might represent recorders. The church itself dates from the 15th century and contains a museum of religious art collected from churches in the vicinity.
Angel Musician (? date), stone carving. Manchester: Cathedral, nave, decorating one of the stone corbels for the roof, between two window arches. An angel plays a gilded, decidedly baroque recorder of tenor size, left hand lowermost. Perhaps it is a replacement for the original lost in the German bombing (1940) and the IRA explosion (1996).
Monkey Band, 7 porcelain figurines, variously 9.5 - 15 cm high, German. California: Butterfields Auctioneers Corp, 9 April 1988, Lot 197. Ref. Artfact (2004). Including the conductor, the musicians playing the cello, French horn, military drum, mandolin, recorder and another, brightly painted costumes and hats, gilt-decorated bases.
?Title, painting, ? 18th century, ? French ? artist. Ref. CD cover: Nocturne, Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet. Seated beneath a tree in a garden before a fountain, a gentleman is teaching a lady how to play the recorder. A maid with a basket sits beside her; a young lad leaning on a stick, stands behind.
[Classical Group], porcelain figurine, 19.7 cm high, German. San Francisco: Butterfields, Furniture and Decorative Arts including Silver, Japanese Prints & Paintings, Carpets & Rugs, 16 February 1988, Lot 3822. Ref. Artfact 2004. A classically draped woman seated by a tree playing a recorder beside two putti, one playing the flute, the other holding a book of music, in tones of pink, blue, and green (losses to tree, restoration), underglaze blue cancelled crossed swords.
Shepherd and his Flock, Meissen porcelain figurine, 20 cm high, German. New York: Christies, Nineteeth Century Furniture, Sculpture and Ceramics, 31 May 2000, Lot 328. Ref. Artfact (2004). Blue crossed swords mark, incised 1359, impressed 121, and painter's 24. A shepherds is leaning on a tree playing a recorder, a goat, seven sheep and his hound at his feet.
Untitled, ? woodcut, ? date, ? provenance. San Francisco: Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts 1963.30.21507. A group of musicians seem to be quarrelling; one on his hands and knees is picking up the pieces of his broken ? fiddle; another walks away from the group playing a long flared-bell pipe (shawm or duct-flute, possibly a recorder).
Untitled, ? woodcut, ? date, ? provenance. San Francisco: Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts 1963.30.21506. In front of a farmhouse with cattle and corn growing, a monk listens to a man in a cape playing a flared-bell pipe (shawm or duct-flute), possibly a recorder. Several finger-holes visible under the player's uppermost (left) hand, and two beneath the right hand; the wall of the bell is shown as being very thick, and thus rather more like a recorder than a shawm.
Unititled ? woodcut, ? date, ? provenance. San Francisco: Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts 1963.30.21484. Indoors, five men dance in a circle; a priest and a finely dressed woman have fallen to the floor. Music is provided by a standing musicians playing a flared-bell pipe (shawm or duct-flute, possibly a recorder).
Untitled, ? woodcut, ? date, ? provenance. San Francisco: Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts 1963.30.21496. A man caught in a bramble bush greets a lad walking by who plays a broadly flared pipe (shawm or duct-flute, possibly a recorder).
Untitled, ? woodcut, ? date, ? provenance. San Francisco: Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts 1963.30.21502. Outdoors, a crowd of people seem to be dancing or playing games to music provided by a standing musician playing a flared-bell pipe (shawm or duct-flute, possibly recorder).
Unititled ? woodcut, ? date, ? provenance. San Francisco: Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts 1963.30.21455. In front of a house a man and two women dance to music provided by a man standing in the doorway playing a flared-bell pipe (shawm or duct-flute, possibly a recorder). One of the women holds a tankard, the other a rake.
Unititled ? woodcut, ? date, ? provenance. Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts 1963.30.21451. In the background a man rides astride a donkey, his arms in the air, and a child is held up to watch. In the foreground a dog dances to music provided by a man playing a flared-bell pipe (shawm or duct-flute, possibly a recorder).
A Boy with a Recorder, black chalk, 17.9 × 17.9 cm, Italian. London: Christie's, British and Continental Watercolours and Drawings, 21 May 1997, Lot 48. Ref. Artfact (2004). Not seen.
Untitled, ? woodcut, ? date, ? provenance. American Recorder Society: Card. Ref. Walter Bergmann ex Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm., 2005). A woman seated before a portative organ plays a tenor-sized cylindrical recorder. This medieval or mock-medieval illustration appeared on a small blue ARS card entitled THE AMERICAN RECORDER SOCIETY / Musical Direction: ERICH KATZ / CONCERT
Euterpe (ca 2005), ? computer graphic, ? date, ? provenance, ? artist. Ref. Web-site: Website: Corale Euterpe (2005). On a sheet of music manuscript paper, Euterpe lies amidst a panoply of instruments ancient and modern, including tympani, regal, harpsichord, virginal, organ, piano, harp, viol, lyre, mandoline, lute, violin, cello, double-bass, serpent, horn, trumpet, tuba, cor anglais, clarinet, flute, and a baroque-style alto recorder. There is a metronome and a music stand, too.
? Title, ? tapestry, ? date, ? provenance, ? artist. Ref. Anthony Rowland-Jones (pers. comm, 2006). Beneath a small canopy, two very elaborately dressed musicians play flute and guitar respectively on each side of a draped table placed between two urns containing floral arrangements. On the table are a lute, violin, shawm and recorder. Only the head of the recorder is visible. Given the rococo-style design this may be 18th-century French.
? Title, ? fresco, ? date, ? provenance, ? artist. Ref. Dmitry Badiarov (pers. comm.) Angels play viola da braccio, lute, organ and a long tenor-sized cylindrical recorder. The window/labium of the recorder is clearly shown, and the fingering is consistent with recorder-playing.
[Still-life], painting, ? date, ? provenance, ? artist. Ref. CD Cover: Bach Cello Suites, Marion Verbruggen, Harmonia Mundi HMU907260 (2000 - col.) Includes a bowl of fruit on a table with an open book of music and a small baroque-style recorder with an unusually prominent beak.
Font Cover (?date), marble statuette, German. Detail. Estebrügge: Martinskirche. Ref. Website: Anges Musiciens (2010-col.) The font cover is decorated with four musical putti playing harp, lute and two pipes. The latter are narrowly flared and all fingers of the players' lowermost (right) hands are in play, so these may represent recorders.
Fish Siren (?date), carved wood relief, German. Blexen, Wesermarsch: St-Hippolyt-Kirche, pulpit. A fish siren holds a pipe with an abruptly flared bell as if it were a transverse flute. However, its profile and the presence of what looks very much like a window/labium rather than an embouchure hole suggest this might be a recorder. One of a series of panels surrounding the pulpit depicting the three sirens playing musical instruments. Although Apollodurus (Epitome 7: 18-19) says that the three sirens played flute and lyre and one sang, here the others play lute and violin.
Figures in a Landscape, oil on canvas, 54 × 36 cm, ? provenance, ? date. Bury St Edmunds: Antique Fine Art: 29 April – 5 May 2010. Ref. Ebay (UK), 29 April – 5 May 2010. A man with what looks like a rifle slung over his shoulder and two female figures reclining beside a stream are entertained by a shepherd lad playing a cylindrical pipe, his fingers and thumb perfectly deployed for recorder-playing. Before them an infant boy lies sleeping on what appears to be a floating mattress. In the mid-ground a seated woman is entertained by a bagpiper. In the background is a town and beyond that a hill. This could represent the Flight to Egypt. It appears to be the work of an amateur, possibly 19th century.