Musicians and their monuments in the Burgundian Netherlands: some art historical perspectives

Abstract

Musicians and their monuments in the Burgundian Netherlands: some art historical perspectives

This article examines the monuments with which some of the most celebrated musicians and composers of the Burgundian Netherlands were commemorated. Perhaps best known is Guillaume Du Fay’s wall-mounted memorial; thanks to musicologists’ research, his sculpted tablet is also one of the best documented of its kind and thus can be situated within the context of the composer’s various provisions—musical and otherwise—to secure his posthumous commemoration. Du Fay’s memorial is considered in relation to selected artworks commemorating his contemporaries and successors, including Gilles Binchois, Jacob Obrecht, Josquin des Prez and Marbrianus de Orto. These include not only tombs and memorial tablets but also panel paintings—like Hans Memling’s portrait of Gilles Joye—and, in one case, a brass reliquary coffer. Of particular concern are the ways in which these monuments reflect their patrons’ wealth, status, personal relationships and devotional priorities, as well as their identities as musicians and clerics.