The miniature of the Glossarium Salomonis depicts crowned and richly dressed King David playing a small quadrangular organ resting on four feet. The wind chest supports 6 conical pipes; the keyboard, extremely reduced, is represented by two long curved sticks, one of which is pressed with the organist’s right hand, while the left symbolically accompanies the words of the overhanging psalm: “Laudate Dominum in organis.” The air supply is provided by a two-handled bellows, operated by a standing assistant, with a duct inserted into the lower part of the wind chest. The scene combines symbolic value and simplified technical description, presenting a small-scale organ falling within the medieval external-bellows typology, distinct from the ancient hydraulic model.
The Glossary of Solomon
Date:
13th century
Location:
Bavarian State Library (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, München), Germany
Author:
Anonymous (13th-century illuminator)
Technique and materials:
Illumination on parchment with inks and colored pigments
Dimensions:
Not documented (organo descritto come \”piccolo\”)
Provenance:
Not documented
Sources:
The Hellenistic-Medieval Organ by Jean Perrot
