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Servir Antico's

Viewer-friendly Organology & Iconography Resource

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a Voyage into the Organology & Imagination of the long Renaissance

By Catalina Vicens

In line with ensemble Servir Antico, my purpose is to bring the work of creative and visionary minds from the past (in form of music, literature and art) to the the spotlight and to transform it into inspiration for the future.

The idea here is to share musical images found in manuscripts, prints, paintings and sculpture as part of their artistic and functional context. In this site I don’t want to take the place of an art historian, and although I use iconography and organology as part of my research, it is not the intention of this site to serve as a form of research output.

There is religious related content in this site, but it does not serve any particular religious view.

Catalina Vicens

Planets, Muses and The Chess of Love

Planets, Muses and The Chess of Love

BNF, Département des manuscrits, Français 143, Evrart de Conty, Le livre des échecs amoureux, text by Jacobus Magnus (1360 ?-1425 ?), Louise de Savoie, 15th century ... Et lui dist dame Pallas et moustra moult d'enseignemens beaulx et moult de belles choses prouffitables a meurs et a honneste vie et qui seroient belles a declairier, maiz pour certaine cause je m'en tairay atant quant a present. Amen. Je lairay donc ceste matere, Tant soit elle de grant mistere. Je n'y p

The Flute & Drum stories of the Spiezer Chronik

The Flute & Drum stories of the Spiezer Chronik

Do you know the famous children's book 'Where's Wally'? If you do, you'll find this similar, but instead of finding the man with the striped shirt, you've got to find the flute and the drum. Not that difficult in this selection, though. These two musicians are everywhere: in midst of wars, burning cities, praying at church, 'dressed like' bears, rescuing captive ladies...and they are doing so always with a smile. As one leaves through the Chronic of the foundings of the Confo

Between Heaven and Hell

Between Heaven and Hell

This time not a Book of Hours, but a book of the hours of the Antichrist. Although at the end of this illuminated manuscript there are scenes with the Virgin and Christ surrounded by angel musicians that are often to be found in the books of hours that I've showcased in previous blog posts, this book surprises us with intriguing scenes of the Last Judgement, the Antichrist and a world of horrifying, yet humorous devils. This French manuscript from the mid 15th century is now

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