Trombone History: Two 17th Century Images

September 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Below are two new 17th century images, one a painting and the other a print. The painting, shown here only in a detail of one portion of the work, has been attributed to Sebastian Vranckx and Jan Brueghel the Younger (in collaboration) and is titled The Royal Palace at Brussels. It has been dated between 1625 and 1630. A trombone rests on the ground, along with a dulcian, near an ensemble of 2 voices and 3 strings that is informally performing outdoors. Noteworthy features of the trombone include its flat stays and a slide section apparently out of proportion with the bell (Kenyon de Pascual, Two Contributions).

Vranckx

Vranckx and Brueghel, The Royal Palace at Brussels

The second image, an anonymous mannerist print titled Genius of the Arts, dates from approximately the same time, circa 1620 (Moir pl. 44). Below the angel (whose toga is apparently on the move) is a fairly clear representation of a trombone. The trombone is noteworthy for its bell flare, which would appear to be slightly more pronounced than that of other trombones of the time period. The image belongs to an interesting group of allegorical art works from the 17th century (1st half) that feature trombones, including Brueghel’s Allegory of Hearing, Van Kessel’s Allegory of Music, and a Czech wall painting from Rozmberk Castle titled Allegory of Music.

Genius

Anonymous, Genius of the Arts

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Trombone History: Trombone in Mixed Consort

September 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Added the below image and caption to the 16th Century Timeline. One never knows how literal these depictions are, but the artist groups together an interesting combination of instruments. Another consort performs at a table in the background.

Tempestac. 1585—Italy: An engraving by Antonio Tempesta entitled The Concert features a trombone performing with a mixed consort of strings, winds, and keyboard (see facing image; public domain).

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Trombone History: Trombone in Peruvian Procession

September 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

After a lot of searching, I found a much better reproduction of the Peruvian painting shown below (public domain; Wuffarden pl. 14). The trombonist is on the far left in the larger image. In this reproduction you can see the instrument in much better detail (including a red bow tied to the end of the slide). Like the image from my last post, it’s not only interesting because of the date, but because it’s from the New World. The painting belongs to a series of anonymous paintings, The Procession of Corpus Domini, detailing a long procession through the streets of colonial Cuzco, Peru.

It would appear that trombones have been marching in parades throughout most of our history. See also iconography of Italian processions in 1496 and 1556-59; German processions in 1574, 1582, and 1584; an Austrian procession in 1580; a Swiss procession in 1589; a Belgian procession in 1615, a French procession in 1654, and so forth.

Procession color detailProcession color1674-80—Cuzco, Peru: An anonymous painting, Confraternities of Saint Rose and La Linda, depicts a procession that includes a trombonist with several other wind players (see facing detail and image below; public domain) (Baker, Imposing Harmony 38).

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Trombone History: New World Trombone Angels

September 1, 2009 By 1 Comment

Added the below image and caption to the 16th Century Trombone Timeline. Not only is it an unusual visual depiction from relatively early in trombone history (1550-1556), but it is from the New World. There is another image in the timeline that’s from 16th century Mexico, a fresco in the church of San Esteban in Tizatlan, Tlaxcala, that features a trombonist-angel, but I have not been able to pinpoint a date more specific than the 16th century.

Posa chapel1550-1556—Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico: A stone carving on one of the 4 posa chapels occupying the corners of the atrium of the church of the Franciscan monastery of San Miguel, Huejotzingo features 2 trombone-playing angels (see facing image; public domain) (Viñuales and Gant 23; Donahue-Wallace 12).

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Trombone Underfoot: A Possible 17th-Century Alto Trombone Image

August 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Added the below images and caption to the Alto Trombone Timeline. It’s quite a beautiful painting. The other instruments “underfoot” are a shawm and a recorder. The trombone appears to be an alto, given its size relative to the things around it (the instruments, most importantly, but also the music and the man’s leg), although how literal the visual depiction was intended to be is always the question.

Mola detailMola

c. 1650—Italy: Swiss-born artist Pier Francesco Mola includes a trombone in his painting, Young Musician Playing a Viola da Gamba. Although it is impossible determine with certainty, the instrument may be an alto trombone, given its size relative to the surrounding instruments and music pages (see facing detail and full image, below; public domain) (Mola 161).

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Trombone History: More Trombone Angels

August 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Added the below drawing and caption to the Trombone History 16th Century Timeline. I was only able to add the detail of the trombone, not the full image, because of some technical problems (I don’t think WordPress likes how big these pages are getting; I may have to start splitting up centuries), but I’ve included the full image in this post.

All these images of trombonists as angel-musicians (see also posts here and here, as well as the Trombone Timeline in general) seem to reflect the trombone’s role as a sacred instrument, an association that has faded over time, making these images somewhat surprising to modern eyes.

Brizio detailBrizioLate 16th century—Italy: Bolognese painter and engraver Francesco Brizio includes trombone among numerous angel-musicians in his study, Lunette with Musical Angels in the Clouds (see facing detail; public domain) (Bohn 532).

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Trombone History: Pity and Donations

August 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Added the following image and its caption to the 19th Century Trombone History Timeline (2nd half). There are two things that are interesting about the print, in my opinion. The first is that the instrument is a rear-facing trombone, which, it turns out, is surprisingly common in 19th century iconography. The second is that it belongs to a group of caricatures or otherwise humorous images from the 19th century that seem to reflect something of a shift in the way people view the trombone (see J.J. Grandville, 1845; Honoré Daumier, 1865; A. Forester, 1896; and the cover of “She was Born in Old Virginia,” 1899).

Silhouettes1871—Paris, France: A lithograph titled A propos de la crise monétaire (“about the currency crisis”) from a series of prints by French caricaturist B. Moloch (B. Colomb) called Les Silhouettes de 1871 depicts a woman playing a rear-facing trombone, along with a well-dressed man wearing a sign asking for pity and donations (see facing image; public domain).

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Trombone History: More Trombone Iconography

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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.)

Cort1565—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).

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Trombone History: More Trombone Angels

August 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Added the following entry to the 18th Century Trombone History Timeline about an anonymous depiction of an angel-trombonist among other angel-musicians. With the painting mentioned in the last post, it would appear to be rare historically, being one of only a few paintings outside of the 16th and 17th centuries I’ve been able to locate that depict trombonists as angel-musicians. The trombone player, by the way, is on the far-right of the painting.

D'Ongina detailD'Ongina1709—Monticelli d’Ongina, Italy: The church Collegiata di San Lorenzo is refurbished in Baroque style. It is probably at this time that an anonymous artist paints a fresco in the church depicting several angel-musicians, including a trombonist. This painting, along with the painted wood ceiling in Tönning, Germany (see 1704, above), is a relatively late example of trombone being depicted among angel-musicians (see facing detail and full image, below; public domain) (Genesi).

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Trombone History: Trombone Among the Angels

August 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

A few months ago I added the following painting and entry to the Trombone History Timeline (18th century):

St. Lawrence1704—Tönning, Germany: A painted ceiling by Barthold Conrath at the Church of St. Lawrence depicts a group of angels playing wind instruments and percussion, including a jubilant angel-trombonist on the far left (see above image; public domain) (Bowles, The Timpani 167).

Toenning_laurentius_orgelSince then I have also come across this wikimedia image (public domain) showing a wider view of the interior of the church. The group of musicians pictured originally in the black and white detail is directly above the organ (but not suspended in the clouds). Click on the picture for a larger image.

What’s a little surprising about the painting, in my opinion, is its relatively late date (1704). The majority of similar visual depictions of trombonists among angel musicians–at least those I have been able to locate–originate from the previous two centuries. See 16th Century and 17th Century.

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