WILL KIMBALL» crumhorn images

Maximilian in Color

wkimball — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 16:44:00 +0000

The famous series of woodcuts entitled The Triumph of Maximilian, executed primarily by artist Hans Burgkmair, includes the trombone in four different plates. The series depicts an imaginary procession of the court of Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519), who died before the project was actually completed. You can read more about the individual entries and instructions for the plates depicting trombones and see the original plates under “1526″ in the Trombone History Timeline (16th century).

I recently found two more versions of the woodcuts. One of them is a set of the original 1526 prints that was hand colored in 1765. The full set, digitized by the University of Graz in Austria, can be found here. The other version is a Spanish “copy” of the prints, c. 1700. Some of the Spanish images are relatively close copies, while others depart from the original in all but the most general sense. The artist for this version is unknown. An online copy of the full set is hosted by Biblioteca Digital Hispánica here.

Hand-colored set of original woodcuts (1765):

Spanish version of woodcuts by unknown artist (c. 1700):

Trombone History: First Non-Italian Depiction of Trombone

wkimball — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:40:39 +0000

Added the following to the 16th century timeline, possibly the first non-Italian depiction of the trombone. Below the first two images and caption I’m also adding here an image I didn’t include in the timeline–I wider shot that includes the church’s organ as well.

trombonist angel, Abbey Eglise Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul, Gonesse

angel musicians, Abbey Eglise Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul, Gonesse

1508—Gonesse, France: In what may constitute the earliest non-Italian visual depiction of the trombone, a painted panel on the organ balcony at Abbey Eglise Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul features an angel-trombonist. Other instruments depicted include viol, shawm, crumhorn, harp, lute, and organ (see detail, top, and full image, below; public domain). Click on full image for larger version (Fischer, Organology; Luri, Les Anges).

wide view, angel musicians and organ, Abbey Eglise Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul

Trombone History: Angel-Trombonist in 16th Century Altarpiece

wkimball — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:33:14 +0000

Added a really nice painting by German artist Hans Baldung to the 16th Century Timeline, dating from fairly early in the history of the trombone. The angel’s grip of the slide is interesting, but probably not a literal representation. In general terms, notice the fairly equal balance of religious versus secular trombone iconography from the 16th century.

1516—Freiburg, Germany: Hans Baldung’s painting, Coronation of the Virgin, the central panel of an altarpiece located in the Freiburg Cathedral, includes an angel-trombonist among a group of angels playing wind instruments above and to the left of the Virgin (see facing detail and full image, below; public domain) (Burkhard pl. 2).