Painting Music in the Age of Caravaggio

Painting Music in the Age of Caravaggio, a small, focused installation that includes three paintings with musical themes—Caravaggio’s The Musicians (1595), Valentin de Boulogne’s The Lute Player (ca. 1626), and Laurent de La Hyre’s Allegory of Music (1649)—along with musical instruments similar to those depicted in the paintings, is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art through April 5, 2015. The period during which these pictures were painted witnessed the birth of opera and the promotion of professional singers, rather than amateurs, as solo performers. The period also witnessed the creation of new instruments that challenged the primacy of the lute.

What did people “hear” when they looked at paintings of musical performances? The paintings featured in this exhibition had an intentionally aural, as well as visual, component. The music in Caravaggio’s The Musicians was once legible and would have been chosen by his patron, Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, a musical promoter who enjoyed singing accompanied by Spanish guitar and who had a resident male soprano in his service. The music in Laurent de La Hyre’s Allegory of Music includes an exercise for voice, lute tablature for tuning, and a chanson. La Hyre enjoyed singing and must have been pleased with this commission from Gedeon Tallement, a member of the Council of State in Paris who was also a music lover.

The musical instruments on view in Painting Music in the Age of Caravaggio include a lute, theorbo, cornett, bass recorder, flageolet, and violin. The lute was the most popular instrument in Europe for hundreds of years. Derived from the ūd, a Middle Eastern instrument introduced into Europe in the eighth or ninth century, the lute was originally played by striking the strings with a plectrum (similar to a pick). In the 15th century, lutenists began using their fingers, allowing players to perform intricate multipart music. By the 16th century, the lute was a prominent solo instrument and the 17th century saw great changes in musical styles, with singers and violinists becoming the dominant soloists. The lute functioned alongside the viola da gamba and keyboards as part of the accompaniment, and was eventually superseded by the harpsichord. 

A recording of period music played on instruments on view in Painting Music in the Age of Caravaggio can be heard in the gallery.

The installation is organized by Keith Christiansen, John Pope-Hennessy Chairman of European Paintings, and Jayson Dobney, Associate Curator and Administrator, Department of Musical Instruments, both of the Metropolitan Museum.

Additional information about the exhibition and its accompanying programs is available on the Museum’s website at www.metmuseum.org/metcaravaggio, as well as on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via the hashtag #MetCaravaggio.