BRUEGHEL, Jan the Elder
(b. ca. 1568, Brussel, d. 1625, Antwerpen)

The Sense of Hearing (detail)

1618
Oil on panel
Museo del Prado, Madrid

In the still-life of Hearing we can examine nearly all the instruments of the period. Near the Flemish harpsichord we can see a drum, a trumpet, a trombone, a cornetto, a lysard, several flutes, various sizes of violas and gambas, a lute, and a shawm. On a table to the right are a small horn, a trumpet, a bell and a reed pipe. The title of the musical score reveals that it is a six-part madrigal dedicated to Prince Pietro Philippi Albert and to Princess Isabella.