1498
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Organ Player and His Wife is a 1498 by Israhel van Meckenem, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows a man playing an organ and his wife operating the bellows. The scene is cozy and domestic. The couple's teamwork is notable - the wife's help is necessary for the music to play. The dog in the foreground adds to the sense of harmony. To learn more about similar artworks, look up the museum: The Cleveland Museum of Art.
In a cozy, domestic setting, an organ player plays a portative with four registers. His wife operates the two bellows, producing the wind that gives the instrument its sound. The activity of one would be inconceivable and pointless without the other. The music they create together--as well as the faithful dog placed prominently in the foreground--refers to marital harmony.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1445 – 10 November 1503), also known as Israhel van Meckenem the Younger, was a German printmaker and goldsmith, perhaps of a Dutch family origin. He was the most prolific engraver of the…
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