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Pick That Thing Up and Play! 9 Trombone Paintings from 17th-Century Flanders

wkimball — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:20:53 +0000

I recently added the top painting shown below, Hendrick de Clerck’s Minerva and the Muses, to the 17th century timeline (1st half).

The timeline now features nine Belgian (or Flemish, if you prefer) paintings within the short span of approximately 30 years (c. 1610-c. 1640) that include trombone. They are similar in several respects. Several of the artists, most notably Rubens and Breughel, are well known in art history. With the exception of Alsloot’s Procession (1615-16), which documents a literal event, nearly all of the paintings incorporate overt symbolism in the form of mythology and/or allegory. In terms of the trombone, one of the most striking things is that, while the paintings all include depictions of the instrument, none of them except the Procession show the trombone actually being played. The instrument is obviously being used as a symbol.

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c. 1610—Belgium: Hendrick de Clerck’s painting, Minerva and the Muses, includes a trombone resting on some foliage in the foreground of the painting (see bottom-left of below image; click for larger image; public domain).

c. 1610—Antwerp, Belgium: Hendrick van Balen’s painting, The Banquet of the Gods, includes a trombone resting on the ground among several other instruments (see bottom right of below detail; public domain image).

c. 1615—Antwerp, Belgium: Hendrick van Balen’s painting, Minerva among the Muses, on the cover of a virginal belonging to Queen Maria Kazimiera Sobieski, features a trombone among several instruments resting on the ground. The trombone is somewhat unusual because of the double loop of tubing on the back of the instrument, similar to the one portrayed by Brueghel and Rubens in Allegory of Hearing (1617-18). Queen Maria, originally from Poland, marries King James Stuart and spends most of her life in Rome. Hendrick van Balen, the artist, is a mannerist from the Antwerp School (see below image) (source: wikimedia commons).

1615-16—Brussels, Belgium: Archduchess Isabella visits Brussels and subsequently commissions several paintings to portray the related celebrations. Denis van Alsloot, painter for the archdukes of Brussels, depicts a “procession of guilds.” The “loud” instruments pictured, which include a trombone, cornett, curtal, and 3 shawms, presumably constitute the civic wind band of Brussels. They occupy a place of honor between the relics and the statue (Denis van Alsloot, Procession en l’honneur de Notre-Dame du Sablon a Bruxelles le 31 mai,Museo Prado, Madrid) (see below detail—click for larger image; Lesure 94-95; Forney, Antwerp 363; Whitwell, Baroque 181; Wangermée, vol. 1 241; ). Public domain image.

c. 1617—Antwerp, Belgium: Hendrick van Balen and Jan Brueghel collaborate on a painting called An Allegory of the Five Senses, which includes a trombone among several instruments in the foreground (see below detail; public domain) (Haeften, pl. 8). For other depictions of the trombone by the same painter, see c. 1610 (Banquet of the Gods), c. 1615 (Minerva among the Muses), and c. 1625 (Allegory of Music). 1617-1618—Antwerp, Belgium: Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens collaborate on a series of paintings on the subject of the 5 senses. The Sense of Hearing or Allegory of Hearing depicts a trombone among the many instruments in the room. All of the paintings in the series are “portrayed against a backdrop of princely collections that together seem to paint an idealized picture of the court of the Habsburg rulers of the Southern Netherlands, the archdukes Albert and Isabella, whose castles in and near Brussels are depicted in the distance” (see below detail; public domain) (Woollett, 91-92; Museo del Prado, Madrid). c. 1625—Belgium: A painting attributed to Jan van Kessel, Hendrik van Balen, and Jan Brueghel titled Allegory of Music features depictions of numerous instruments, including trombone (see below detail; public domain) (Wangermée vol. I, 292; Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Musée municipal). 1625-1630—Belgium: The Royal Palace at Brussels, a painting attributed to Sebastian Vranckx and Jan Brueghel the Younger, includes a depiction of a trombone. The trombone rests on the ground, along with a dulcian, near an ensemble of 2 voices and 3 strings that is informally performing outdoors (see below image; public domain) (Kenyon de Pascual, Two Contributions). c. 1640—Antwerp, Belgium: Jan van Kessel’s Allegory of Hearing depicts a room with numerous instruments, including a trombone leaning against a stool (see below detail; public domain). The image is similar to a painting on which the artist collaborated with Hendrik van Balen and Jan Brueghel (see c. 1625, above).

Trombone History: Pair of 18th Century Images

wkimball — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 05:36:50 +0000

Trombone images from the 18th century are somewhat difficult to find, largely due to the fact that the trombone itself was a bit difficult to find during that era. However, I’ve recently added a pair of interesting images to the Trombone History Timeline (18th century). They’re shown below, along with their captions/references.

1716-1727—Germany: Protestant minister Daniel Pfisterer keeps a personal sketchbook in which he sketches various aspects of his surroundings. Included is a drawing depicting numerous instruments on and around a table. The trombone is on the right (see below image; public domain) (source: Recorder Home Page).

1774-77—Rome, Italy: Giovanni Volpato creates copper engravings of paintings by Giovanni da Udine found on the colonnade of the Loggia of Raphael in the Vatican, originally painted in 1517-1519 (see 16th century timeline). The instruments are grouped in trophies (or decorative clusters), the grouping that features trombone representing a shawm band, a common 16th century ensemble. Although the engravings by Volpato are generally considered good copies, they reflect some 18th-century characteristics, like the round stays on the trombone (see below image; public domain) (Myers, Instrumental Trophies).

Trombone in Concert Scenes from the Early 17th Century

wkimball — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:46:09 +0000

I recently added the first image/entry shown below to the Trombone History Timeline (17th century–first half). The painting is noteworthy for three reasons, in my opinion: 1) the performers appear to be upper-class, 2) the trombonist is female, and 3) it bears at least a passing resemblance to two other trombone paintings, also from the early 17th century, that depict “concert” scenes (see 1600s and c. 1610, below).

For a related article, see Females in Trombone History, 1500-1900.

c. 1615—Italy: Sienese artist Francesco Rustici (sometimes known as “il Rustichino”) includes what appears to be a trombone in his painting, Concerto. The trombonist, standing in the middle-rear, appears to be female (see below image; public domain) (Museo di Arti Figurative; Markova). For a color detail of the trombone (labeled “trumpet” on the site), see here.

1600s—Italy: An anonymous Italian painting portrays an instrumental ensemble with diverse dress and a mixed grouping of winds, strings, and keyboard (see below image; public domain).

c. 1610—Rome, Italy: Lionello Spada’s painting, Concert, which shows a group of musicians presumably preparing for a performance, includes a clear depiction of a musician removing the outer slide of a trombone (see below image; public domain) (Egan; Monducci 81).

Trombone History: Six Early 17th Century Images from Antwerp

wkimball — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:11:12 +0000

The first 2 images below are paintings I just added to the Early 17th Century Timeline. One thing that has become apparent is that there is a grouping of several similar paintings from this era by a small handful of artists based in Antwerp (see also the images below the first 2 paintings in this post; for more information on individual images, see Timeline). A few things stand out about this set of images. First, many of the paintings are collaborative, a practice that was relatively common (Haeften 8). Second, it is evident that all of the works are allegorical (or mythological) in nature. Third, in every case, the trombone is pictured in the foreground resting on the ground instead of being played. Finally, as mentioned elsewhere, many of the depictions of the trombone seem to be quite similar, almost as if they were stock images.

c. 1640—Antwerp, Belgium: Jan van Kessel’s Allegory of Hearing depicts a room with numerous instruments, including a trombone leaning against a stool (see facing detail; public domain). The image is similar to a painting on which the artist collaborated with Hendrik van Balen and Jan Brueghel (see c. 1625, above).

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Additional paintings from Early 16th Century Antwerp that include trombone:

Van Balen, Banquet of the Gods

Van Balen, Minerva among the Muses

Brueghel and Rubens, Allegory of Music

Van Kessel, Van Balen, and Brueghel, Allegory of Music

Trombone History: More Trombone Iconography

wkimball — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:01:44 +0000

Added the below image and info to the 16th Century Trombone History Timeline. The artist, Cornelis Court, was well known for making engravings that were copies of pre-existing artworks. In this case, the engraving is after a work by Flemish Renaissance artist Frans Floris. The image, which is obviously symbolic, features a relatively small-looking trombone hanging on the upper right area of the wall. It is nearly impossible to tell, and artists are often less than literal, but the instrument could be an alto trombone. (Compare it proportionally, for example, with the other instruments nearby.)

1565—Musica, an engraving by Dutch artist Cornelis Cort from a series called the Seven Liberal Arts (after works by Frans Floris) includes a small trombone hanging on a wall in the background (see facing image; public domain) (Burgers 99).

Trombone History: 16th Century Paintings of Trombonists

wkimball — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:56:39 +0000

Added several new images to the 16th Century of the Trombone History Timeline. They include, respectively, a detail and 2 paintings by Caravaggio (the less-famous Caravaggio, sometimes known as Polidoro Caldara) (c. 1520, Rome, Italy), as well as a detail and full color version of a painting by Schelhas (c. 1600, Augsburg, Germany). The Caravaggio paintings, dealing with the muses, reflect the symbolism attached to trombone during this period of trombone history. The Schelhas painting, depicting an aristocratic dance, appears to be much more literal, highlighting the trombone’s role as a dance instrument at this time.