Dosso Dossi
Allegory of Music, 1522, oil on canvas
The painting depicts an Allegory of Music and was painted by Dosso Dossi at the court of Ferrara, probably during the reign of Alfonso I d’Este. The work has a complex iconography, and has posed numerous problems of dating and interpretation. The male figure represents Tubalcain, who forged musical notes striking an anvil with his hammer. Beside him, the two women represent Sacred and Profane Music. The visible musical scores seem to allude to compositions by the Flemish composer Adrien Willaert, who resided and worked at the Este Court in 1515.
