Choir and orchestra (a choral band)

Mortimer, John Hamilton (1740-1779)

Item type:

drawing

Date of creation:

1776

Height:

21.0 cm  (8 1/4 in.)

Width:

28.3 cm  (11 1/8 in.)

Technique / Medium:

pen and black ink on moderately thick, moderately textured, cream laid paper

Description

This scene includes an amateur local choir (characterized by lower-class garments) and a cosmopolitan instrumental ensemble (labeled as Prussia[n], Ger[man], Ital[ian], Swiss, and Engl[ish]. Instruments visible are French horn, double bass, oboe, and transverse flute; the musician to the left in the orchestral group may represent a keyboard player and/or conductor, and he is pictured with an open score with the letters ARP and the numbers 4679. Audience members of different social classes are also depicted.

Iconclass

32A5
caricatures (human types)
32
human types; peoples and nationalities
48C7552
choir
48C753
more than one musician with instrument
48C7532
small group of musicians, chamber orchestra
48A712
the audience ~ art performance
48C70
'Musica', symbolic representations, allegories and emblems ~ music; 'Musica'(Ripa)

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Horn [4118]
Double bass [3111]
Oboe [4232]
Transverse flute [4093]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

Notes

Inscribed in pen and black ink, lower left: "ARP | 4 6 7 9 | Presso | [ . . . ]"; in pen and black ink lower left to lower right: "ENGL. | SWISS. | ITAL | GER. | PRUSSIA"

Paul Mellon collector's mark

RIdIM record id

6308