The Music
Pinturicchio·1493
Historical Context
Music personified appears in this 1493 fresco in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, part of Pinturicchio"s celebrated decoration of the Borgia Apartments for Pope Alexander VI. The Liberal Arts were a standard decorative program for palatial interiors, and Pinturicchio"s versions combine allegorical content with his love of bright color and ornamental detail. The Borgia Apartments commission was one of the most prestigious of Pinturicchio"s career, giving him access to the pope"s own living quarters.
Technical Analysis
The allegorical figure is rendered with Pinturicchio"s characteristic combination of elegant drawing and brilliant color, set within an ornamental framework that integrates the figure with the surrounding wall decoration. The fresco technique demands rapid, confident execution, and Pinturicchio"s handling shows the practiced assurance of an experienced mural painter. Musical instruments and symbolic attributes are rendered with the precise, decorative detail that distinguishes Pinturicchio"s frescoes.
