Trombone History: Two Very Different Images

Added the following images, quite a bit different in character, to the 17th Century (first half) and 19th Century (2nd half) timelines, respectively. The similarity, of course, is that they both include a trombone.

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Balen banquet detailc. 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 facing detail; public domain image). For other paintings by the same artist that include trombone, see c. 1615 and c. 1625.

French-Natl-Guard1858—London, England: An illustration of the band of the French National Guard published in London’s Illustrated Times includes trombone (see facing image; public domain).

Trombone History: 17th Century Ensemble

Added the image below to the 17th Century (first half) timeline. Seems like the trombone’s always in the back…(see also here).

anon 17C1600s—Italy: An anonymous Italian painting portrays an instrumental ensemble with diverse dress and a mixed grouping of winds, strings, and keyboard (see facing image; public domain).

Trombone History: Two 17th Century Images

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

Trombone History: Trombone in Mixed Consort

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).

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

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).

Trombone History: More Trombone Angels

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).

Trombone History: More Trombone Angels

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).

Trombone History: 16th Century Paintings of Trombonists

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.

Caravaggio-musesCaravaggio 847Caravaggio 846Schelhas detailSchelhas full

Trombone History: Painting of Female Trombonist

Although it has perhaps not been widely known, there are records of female trombonists throughout trombone history, dating back to the 16th century. The Trombone History Timeline shows, for example, entries from 1594, 1600, 1613, 1618, 1630, and 1632 that detail activities of trombone-playing nuns in the Italian cities of Ferrara, Venice, and Bologna. The following painting by Italian Pietro Paolini (or his school), dating from c. 1625, offers a rather clear representation of a female trombonist among a group of musicians (source: Patrizia Giusti, Pietro Paolini: pittore lucchese, 1603-1681. Maria Pacini Fazzi editore in Lucca, 1987, p. 158).

Paolini

Pietro Paolini, Gruppo di giovani suonatori con vaso di fiori