The miniature depicts a small footed organ traceable, in conception, to Theophilus’s first description (De domo organaria lignea). The instrument presents 13 treble pipes, placed to the right of the organist, with square mouths and inserted in a rudimentary wind chest. The manual comprises eight keys, operated by a performer kneeling in front of the instrument. No elements of the ventilation system (bellows or pumps) nor wind operators are visible. The image, although extremely schematic, documents an early phase of the medieval organ with a compact and presumably wooden structure.
The Pommersfelden Psalter
Pommersfelden Bible, Graf von Schönbornsche Bibliothek, Nr. 334, folio 148v
Date:
early 11th century
Location:
Graf von Schönborn Library, Pommersfelden, Germany
Author:
Anonymous (monastic illuminator)
Technique and materials:
Ink drawing on parchment, summary wooden miniature
Dimensions:
Not documented
Provenance:
Not documented
Sources:
