Arte e Música: iconografia musical na pintura dos séculos XV a XX

The exhibition “Arte e Música – iconografia musical na pintura dos séculos XV a XX” (Art and Music: musical iconography in the paintings of the 15th to 20th centuries) brought together approximately 50 pieces selected from museums under the direction of the Portuguese Institute of Museums (Instituto Português de Museus). It sought to show the organological evolution of instruments, portrayed in paintings as accessories to the pictorial composition.

The works chosen focused on religious themes in a generic sense, allegories and portraits, all enriched through the presence of musical instruments, musical notation, singing or dancing. Among the items on display were A Virgem, o Menino e dois Anjos Músicos (The Virgin, the Child and two Musical Angels) (Flemish, 15th century), Adoração do Cordeiro Místico pelas Santas Virgens (Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Holy Virgins), by Bento Coelho (17th century), Santa Cecília e dois Anjos (Saint Cecilia and two Angels) (Italian school, 17th century), and musical instruments themselves, as iconographical supports. Aiming to encourage the study of musical iconography, it was hoped that this exhibition would contribute to the development of organology.