Caption quoted from detail from wikipedia:en:vihuela:
a large fresco located in the borgia apartments of the vatican (rome, italy). The subject matter is music, from the quadrivium of liberal arts, painted by bernadino pinturicchio in 1493. The detail is of a spanish musician playing a long-necked spanish vihuela de mano (or de penola) with waist-cuts. In 1492, a new pope, rodrigo borgia (pope alexander vi), was installed. Borgia came from valencia spain, where he served as cardinal. When he took the papacy, borgia brought with him from valencia his court chapel, including his musicians, among them his vihuelistas or violists. This is how we can say with near certainty that the instrument depicted in the bogia apts quadrivium fresco is a spanish vihuela, even though it appears in an italian fresco. Borgia commissioned this and other frescos shortly after taking up residence in the vatican. Important early images like this are key and essential for seeing and understanding the origins and connections between plucked vihuela and bowed vihuela, that is vihuela de arco, otherwise known as viola da gamba (in italian) or viols. Object Type: painting. Date: 1493. Medium: fresco painting. Collection: Apostolic Palace. Vihuela BPintoricchio 1493
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