IAML/IASA Annual Conference, Perugia, Thursday 5 September 1996, 11:15 - 12:45

IAML. Répertoire International d'Iconographie Musicale (RIdIM)

Luciano Buono (Centro di Studi Musicali per il Meridione, Caltagirone)

Musical-iconographic cataloguing of paintings and carvings in Messina County

At a first iconography-musical research of works of art existing in the county of Messina, today one of the most catalogued area of the whole Sicily, is possible to point out some interesting works made up between 15th and 17th centuries. In them the representation of musical instruments mostly regards the figurative theme of angels musicians often surrounding the Virgin in glory. This theme which constitutes a large part of the iconography-musical works of the whole Sicilian artistic production is already evident in the sculptural ornaments of the cusp of the main portal of Messina's cathedral. They were from made up by the Lombard Pietro de Bonitate after 1468 on, and restored different times in consequence of earthquakes which destroied the city. The cusp inspired the unknown sculptor of the interesting angel-musicians on the marble portal of the same cathedral. They date back to the end of the 15th century and unfortunately only a few fragments of them are kept in the Regional Museum of Messina. Nevertheless such an iconographic theme reaches results of particulars interest in the Sicilian late mannerist pictorial production between 16th and 18th centuries. Indeed in this period a franciscan iconography spreads; it can be seen in various paintings ordered by the Franciscan convents: the so-called "Madonna degli Angeli", a Madonna in glory surrounded by two or more angels who often play musical instruments. Scipione Pulzone from Gaeta is perhaps to be considered the beginner of such an iconographic theme but a remarkable contribution to the spreading of it was given by the Messinese Antonio Catelano the Old (1560-1605?) and by the Tuscan Filippo Paladini. The first one introduced in his paintings various angels-musicians surrounding the Lady, they became the most important element of the work, while at the beginning of the 17th century in Sicily the second one made various works of art which contained the same peculiarity. This iconographic element, even if with a fewer frequency and with different features according to the cultural education and the place of origin of every artist, will be, later, reproposed by the different painters working in the county of Messina during the 17th century.

Le catalogage des peintures ed gravures d'iconographie musicale dans la province de Messina

A une première recherche iconographique-musicale des oeuvres d'art dans la province de Messina, aujurd'hui une des plus catalogueés de toute la Sicilie, on peut mettre en évidence quelques manufats interéssants, qui ont été réalisés entre le 15ème et le 16ème siècle et dans lesquels la représentation des instruments musicaux est concentrée surtout sur le thème figuratif des anges qui sonnent et quelquefois entourent la Vierge en gloire. Ce thème constitue la plus part des travaux iconographiques-musicaux de toute la production artistique sicilienne.

Die Katalogisierung von musikikonigraphische Bild und Gravierungen in der Provinz Messina

Eine erste ikonographische-musikalische Ermittlung der existierenden Kunstwerke in der Provinz Messina, die zu den katalogisiertesten Gebieten der ganzen sizilianischen Region gehört, gestattet einige, interessante Manufakturen aus dem 15. und dem 17. Jh. hervorzuheben, deren Musikinstrumente Darstellung sich hauptsächlich auf das bildiche Thema der Musikanten-Engel, die die Heilige Jungfrau umgeben, konzentriert ist. Dieses Thema stellt einen grossen Teil der ikonographischen-musikalischen Präsenz der ganzen sizilianischen, kuenstlerischen Produktion dar.