Tobias stimmer woodcut engraving of a woman with a lute, circa 1570-1577. Part of a series of 10 prints from about 1575 that included the "lute, viol, guitar, positive organ, transverse flute, psaltery, cornett, 'clarion', base shawm, and 'pot lid and spoon. '"[1] the new york public library has the only complete set of 10. A rough transcription of the blackletter textreads:
homerus ziveisselt billicht wol
ob man von wenschen glauben soll
das sie die laute ersunden haben /
oder ob sie die götter gaben. Weils die gröst kusnt ist / schönster thon/
und aller instrument ein kron/
und hat was himlisch lieblichfeit:
drum schreibt er sie sei zubereit
von mercurio/ der dieselb
hat rund dem himel gleich gewölbt:
auff das sie auch recht himlisch laute:
ke. N schönerer bau ward nie erbaut
which google translate rendered:
homer doubts whether
one should believe
that they invented the lute /
or whether it was given by the gods. Because it is the greatest art / most beautiful thing/
and every instrument a crown/
and has something heavenly lovely:
that's why he writes it is ready
from mercury, who arched it
around like the sky:
so that it also sounds really heavenly:
no more beautiful building was ever built. Date: 1570-1577.
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