Muziekinstrumenten en opengeslagen muziekboek 1850 - 1878

Hendricus Joannes Petrus Hanau created this print of musical instruments and an open music book sometime between 1850 and 1900. The piece is a tightly organized collection of instruments, sheet music and natural forms, all rendered in stark black and white. Hanau was working during a time of great change in European musical culture, with the rise of public concerts and conservatories leading to increasing professionalization of musicians. This print may celebrate the democratizing influence of easily accessible sheet music, as well as the instruments themselves, as music moves from private salons into the public sphere. The crisp lines and meticulous detail suggest the influence of the printmaking tradition of the Netherlands, while the subject matter reflects a broader European interest in music and the arts. Careful research into the musical repertoire of the time and the history of Dutch printmaking would shed even more light on the meaning of this image.