Two weeks ago I added the below trombone history image & caption to the 17th century timeline (1st half), as well as posting The Evolution of a Trombone Painting, a blog post that included not only the painting, but several sketches that preceded it.

1644—Florence, Italy: Il Volterrano (also known variously as Baldassare Franceschini and Franceschini Baldassare detto Volterrano) is commissioned to paint a lunette fresco in Florence’s Santissima Annunziata. The image features angels playing violin, trombone, and lute (see above image; public domain) (Strozzi 332; Falletti 76).

Since then, I tracked down a color image and changed out the black & white one in both the post and the timeline page. I also found two other images depicting angel-musicians from the same artist and same area of the church (the Grazzi Chapel of Santissima Annunziata). It’s interesting to see which other instruments (and combinations of instruments) were depicted by the artist in his work in the Florentine church, and it provides at least some idea of what was being played at the time and how instruments were perceived by people. I would also point out, once again, what a prolific half-century 1601-1650 was for trombone iconography! The source for the images is Falletti, 55-78 (see Trombone History Bibliography for full citation). Here they are, below–click on image to enlarge: