Harpsichord

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.