How much music there is in the exhibition Homage to Rembrandt. Dutch Masters in Cremona, currently on view at the Civic Museum of Cremona. It is an incredibly interesting aspect, once again bringing together music, instruments, and art. As the theme of the exhibition suggests, the works are connected to Cremona—a city of violin making, but also, as recently demonstrated by the volume edited by Fabrizio Loffi for Cremonasera (Cremona and the McCrimmons – the incredible journey of the bagpipe from the Po Valley to the Highlands, 2025), a city linked to bagpipes as well.

And it is precisely this latter instrument that is widely represented in the exhibition, starting with the panel Village Feast by Peeter Baltens (Antwerp, c. 1527–1584). From the window of a house, a bagpiper appears. Clearly visible are the two drone pipes and the chanter connected to a large “bag.” The same type of instrument, with identical features, appears in the lower part of the panel St. George’s Kermesse by David Vinckboons (Mechelen, 1576 – Amsterdam, 1631/1633). The performer stands at the center of a round dance, where men and women celebrate the saint’s feast day.

The focus then shifts to bowed instruments. The first appears again in St. George’s Kermesse. Given the period in which the panel was painted, it may be a vielle, played by a child enjoying the village festivities next to a little girl holding a kind of doll. The figure is very small, making precise identification difficult. However, considering the context, one can reasonably assume it is an instrument used for popular celebrations involving folk dancing.

A second bowed instrument appears in the magnificent painting by Jan Havicksz. Steen (Leiden, 1626–1679), Hurdy-Gurdy Player at a Village Festival. The figure is in the background compared to the main subject, and again, exact identification is challenging. As in the previous case, it may be a vielle. The musician stands at the center of a lively dance among celebrating villagers. Remaining with this work, the depiction of the hurdy-gurdy played by the main figure is of rare beauty. The instrument was widely used in Northern Europe, especially in Franco-Dutch regions. It should not be forgotten, however, that it must also have been appreciated in Cremona, as Camillo Boccaccino depicts it in great detail in one of the most beautiful frescoed pilasters in San Sigismondo, played by an angel. In the painting on display, for example, one can clearly see the six tuning pegs and the keyboard. The soundboard is rendered with incredible precision, including the rosette in the lower left corner.

There is also ample space for percussion instruments. Two are depicted in St. George’s Kermesse: a large drum is carried on the shoulders of a player watching a theatrical performance in the right corner of the panel. Once again, it is portrayed with remarkable detail. Two more drums are visible hanging from an improvised stall, typical of village fairs—as if they were for sale to further enliven the celebration. Even at such small scale, David Vinckboons renders these details with great accuracy. Jacobus Storck (Amsterdam, 1641 – after 1639), in his painting Embarkation near the Montelbaan Tower, portrays another percussion instrument, played by a soldier aboard a vessel waiting for other troops to board. The depiction is particularly detailed within an almost miniature-like composition, where even the decorative elements of the drum are clearly visible.

Finally, to conclude with what is considered the king of instruments: the church organ. It appears clearly and in great detail in the work by Bartholomeus van Bassen (The Hague?, 1590–1652), Interior of the Grote Kerk in The Hague. It is an imposing organ in a distinctly Germanic style. The pipes on the façade are rendered with equal precision; upon close inspection, wooden pipes can also be seen at the outer edges. Of great artistic importance is the organ case, richly decorated in a lavish Baroque style, with the choir loft clearly visible below.

What emerges from these works is an extraordinary collection—many of them once belonging to Cremonese nobility, who evidently had a close familiarity with the instruments depicted by Dutch artists.

The exhibition at the Civic Museum will remain open until June 7, 2026.