[Music Iconography]
Carved 18th Century Hurdy-Gurdy Head
A finely carved wooden Hurdy-Gurdy head, ca. 1750, in the form of a bust portrait of an 18th century man wearing a turban. With decorative patterns incised on three sides and lower borders. 11.9 x 16.5 cm. In very fine condition, a beautiful item for the music-room shelf!Small turbans of the kind depicted here were worn by European men and women throughout the 18th century, the fashion brought back by travelers to the mysterious lands of the Orient and Turkey. The poet, Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744) and the composer, George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759) are depicted in lifetime portraits wearing headwear similar to the one seen here. (5761)
Ephemera Classical Music