Harpsichord
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.In the world of the courtesan, music was central to seduction. Titian’s paintings on the theme of Venus with a musician show the goddess, mortals, and instruments as sensual bodies waiting to be played. Inspired by these works, the decoration on this harpsichord features a recumbent Venus, clothed solely in a courtesan’s jewels and revealed only when the lid is lifted. Seated at the keyboard and gazing upon the goddess, the player embodies the musician from Titian’s canvases, entering a realm of sensual bodies, sounds, and acts.
Artwork Details
- Title: Harpsichord
- Artist: Alessandro Trasuntino
- Date: 1531
- Culture: Italian
- Medium: Cypress, ivory covers, gesso, poplar, walnut, parchment, gold, fruitwood (apple?), beechwood
- Dimensions: 90 x 37 5/8 x 34 1/16 in.
- Classification: Chordophone-Zither-plucked-harpsichord
- Credit Line: Royal College of Music, London
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
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