Art And The Concertina

[Hilary]

I've just been watching a recording an arts programme - 'This is civilization' on Channel 4 (UK)

 

In the Witches Sabbath by Goya, there's a woman playing a concertina and concertina players appear in several other paintings by this artist.

 

Do other artists from the same period (the sabbath was painted in 1820-23) also use the instrument as an image?

[wntrmute]

Since the concertina was not invented until after 1829 (the year after Goya died), and not widely available until the mid 1830's at the earliest, then that is most likely not a concertina being played. Wikipedia describes the figure on the right as holding a muff. It could possibly be another cylindrical instrument -- just not a concertina (and not very likely to be a free-reed instrument at all since most of the development on those instruments would have been very late in Goya's life).

[PaddyLosty]

Looks like some television producers have got some 'splainin to do.

[Stephen Chambers]

Looking at the picture, I can understand the confusion, it does look rather like a hexagonal German concertina with a bellows divider, though it was painted half a century before such things were made.

 

(Detail of righthand side.)