Oh. I couldn't see the broken strings. There is allegorical symbolism of broken strings, and Charlotte told me about an entire book devoted to the matter. I've often puzzled over the wonderful engraving of Ochsenkhun from his lute book. He has such a surprised look on his face: "Oh, damn, I just changed that string yesterday!"
On 11/24/15, William Brohinsky<[email protected]> wrote: So what do I know? the top of the bass extension appears to have at least two pegs mounted perpendicular to the others, coming out of or going behind the plane of the neck. If there are three arranged that way, it would account for all 9 string. To me, it looks like two strings on the lute are broken, and someone, the Lady, perhaps, has gathered the loose lengths up and tucked them under the string plane to keep them out of the way. Many portraits of this era made use of allegory: perhaps the artist was aware of, and painted into the picture, his assessment of the couple's relationship, the lady's pre-occupied look to the heavens and her instrument's broken strings being connected and a statement upon either her fidelity or comfort with her portrait-sharing partner? If I were asked to sit for a portrait with such an instrument, and told, by the artist, to sit on the right side of the other person, I would, politely and inappropriately-for-playing, rotate the lute in my lap to stick the neck off to the left. So I don't take any hints of handedness of the picture from that. The broken strings, the inattention or even ennui on her face, and the dog add up to unmusical indications of the Lady's status in the eyes of the painter, though. ray On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 8:53 AM, Martyn Hodgson <[1][1][email protected]> wrote: Dear Gary, I do agree: this is why I suggested that 'In short, the very act of posing for the picture was the statement rather than the playing of music'. regards, Martyn __________________________________________________________________ From: Gary Boye <[2][2][email protected]> To: Martyn Hodgson <[3][3][email protected]> Cc: David Van Edwards <[4][4][email protected]>; "[5][5][email protected]" <[6][6][email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, 24 November 2015, 13:19 Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: Another lute picture? Martyn, There seems to be an inside joke we're not privy to here. It may just be that the artist liked the 90 degree angle created by the 2 instruments when held this way. And/or if she held it in the normal position she would have risked obscuring the man's face and throwing off the composition.But look at the dog: he/she doesn't seem to be enjoying the lute playing and the reaction is aimed pointedly at the lute player. Something important is happening there. This borders on parody, seen apparently from the point of view of the male gamba player, who looks directly at us. Subtle; but barely . . . It seems to me to be a joke on the woman, whether or not she was "in" on it. Gary On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 6:14 AM, Martyn Hodgson <[1][7][7][email protected]> wrote: Very interesting David. It may be simply a fashionable couple wanting to be portrayed performing but in fact unable to play a note! Perhaps the painter who, as you point out, might be thought to have known better was laughing up his sleeve... Or perhaps, and maybe more likely (the painter might not have wished to be later seen to make fools of his rich clients), they had insisted on this sort of pose (it certainly looks very stylised especially with the young lady's eyes turned to heaven etc) and their insistence overcame any scruples the painter may have expressed about depicting them actually playing. In short, the very act of posing for the picture was the statement rather than the playing of music. regards Martyn __________________________________________________________________ From: David Van Edwards <[2][8][8][email protected]> To: [3][9][9][email protected] Sent: Tuesday, 24 November 2015, 10:50 Subject: [LUTE] Another lute picture? Dear All, My Lute of the Month series has dwindled to lute of the Year these days! It's because I've mainly been writng them for the Lute Society's newsletter, Lute News, now it has a nice full colour cover. But here is the latest, as it were more public, example up on the web at [1][4][10][10]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm I hope you find it fun! As usual please email me any corrections or comments Best wishes, David -- The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB England. Telephone: [5][11]+ 44 (0)1603 629899 Website: [2][6][12][11]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk -- To get on or off this list see list information at [3][7][13][12]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. [8][14][13]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 2. [9][15][14]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 3. [10][16][15]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- Gary R. Boye, M.S.L.S., Ph.D. Erneston Music Library Appalachian State University -- References 1. mailto:[17][16][email protected] 2. mailto:[18][17][email protected] 3. mailto:[19][18][email protected] 4. [20][19]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 5. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/L2144-3612TMP.html 6. [21][20]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 7. [22][21]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 8. [23][22]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 9. [24][23]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 10. [25][24]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. [25]mailto:[email protected] 2. [26]mailto:[email protected] 3. [27]mailto:[email protected] 4. [28]mailto:[email protected] 5. [29]mailto:[email protected] 6. [30]mailto:[email protected] 7. [31]mailto:[email protected] 8. [32]mailto:[email protected] 9. [33]mailto:[email protected] 10. [34]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 11. tel:%2B%2044%20%280%291603%20629899 12. [35]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 13. [36]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 14. [37]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 15. [38]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 16. [39]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 17. [40]mailto:[email protected] 18. [41]mailto:[email protected] 19. [42]mailto:[email protected] 20. [43]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 21. [44]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 22. [45]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 23. [46]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 24. [47]http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 25. [48]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. mailto:[email protected] 3. mailto:[email protected] 4. mailto:[email protected] 5. mailto:[email protected] 6. mailto:[email protected] 7. mailto:[email protected] 8. mailto:[email protected] 9. mailto:[email protected] 10. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 11. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 12. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/ 13. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 14. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 15. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/ 16. mailto:[email protected] 17. mailto:[email protected] 18. mailto:[email protected] 19. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 20. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 21. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/ 22. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 23. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 24. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/ 25. mailto:[email protected] 26. mailto:[email protected] 27. mailto:[email protected] 28. mailto:[email protected] 29. mailto:[email protected] 30. mailto:[email protected] 31. mailto:[email protected] 32. mailto:[email protected] 33. mailto:[email protected] 34. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 35. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 36. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/ 37. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 38. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 39. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/ 40. mailto:[email protected] 41. mailto:[email protected] 42. mailto:[email protected] 43. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 44. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 45. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/ 46. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/month/Nov%2015/month.htm 47. http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/ 48. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/
