It is the first time that a gallery or museum ever presents a selection of Italian Baroque musical instruments, and the Accademia Gallery is the lucky host of one of the most interesting exhibitions of 2007. Bringing together a wide and careful selection of musical instruments made in Italy in the Baroque age, the show is simply amazing due to the variety, the quality of the instruments and the fascinating history that they tell. The craftsmanship is also impressive, as the choice of materials, the often surprising and complicated shapes and styles provide a real show even to the untrained eye. It is clear that for the masters of those times a musical instrument had to be beautiful as well as perfectly made.
Starting with the 16th century, music played an increasingly important role in everyday life and was present especially in the life of the nobles. The cultural, musical and social events and circumstances further increased the interest for collecting musical instruments, and so these useful and expensive objects became works of art. The Italian courts were among those were music was very important. So famous rich families of collectors such as the Este, the Gonzaga, the Barberini, the Rospigliosi and the Medici began buying and commisioning musical instruments, atracted both by their beauty and quality.
The exhibition at the Accademia Gallery in Florence has been divided into four distinct sections :
1. The first one is dedicated to musical instruments which have at least a part which is painted or carved, displaying brilliant examples of sculpted wood, with cherubs and mythical sea creatures, or decorated by small paintings, signed by artists such as Luca Giordano or Solimena.
2. The second one deals with those musical instruments that were simply astounding, even shocking, due to the unusual and rare materials used, which included even marble and semi-precious stones. One such an example is a spinet entirely encrusted with semi-precious stones, another a harpsichord made of marble, with a delicate craftsmanship.
3. Third section presents musical instruments which are built in zoomorphic or fantastic shapes, many of these destined to be used in the theatre. The forms range from dragons to various species of fishes, others being decorated in strange patterns.
4. The final section of the show is hosting the musical instrument inlaid with various precious materials such as ivory, ebony, shells and even some pieces fully made out of ivory. The highlights of this section is the group of wind instruments, made by Giovanni Maria Anciuti, was one the best masters of his time.
2007-09-25
