|
~ Universe of Bagpipes ~  |
|
~ Universe of Bagpipes ~ |
|
We recently purchased this dramatic woodcut from a naval antiques dealer in France, as an addition to our collection of original early woodcuts, engravings and etchings depicting bagpipes and/or pipers. At the time we did not realize that this image may have some particular historical significance. The Basques are well known as early whalers and fishermen. There are numerous early accounts of sightings of Basque vessels by various famous explorers as they cruised the far north and far west Atlantic. It seems, in fact, that some "discoveries" of new lands included such encounters, which opens questions about exactly who discovered what. Fortunately, the sometimes heated arguments about such matters are not our concern here. What interests us is that while there are many sorts of bagpipes in Spain, there seems to be very little solid documentation of piping among the Basque people. It can be presumed that there must have been bagpipes in that culture, since bordering groups had pipes at one time or another. Usually there are at least some traces of extinct piping traditions to be found in places where they once thrived, if not in literature then in paintings, carvings, or other iconography. That seems to be lacking in regard to Basque piping, with researchers left just about completely in the dark by the lack of reliable references. Which brings us to this woodcut. Ambroise Pare, the author of this first French book about monsters, was not just some enterprising publisher looking to cash in on the new popularity of the printed book. He was a famous surgeon, often cited as the father of modern surgery, and a keen naturalist. While some of the things in his works exist only in the worlds of mythology, he was generally accurate in details. Thus in this woodcut we see neatly depicted tools and equipment, clothing, and the processing of the whale carcass. And, of course, the piper.  Enlarged detail of the possibly Basque piper Scan Copyright 2007, Universe of Bagpipes There is rumor - and that's about all, rumor - of an extinct Basque bagpipe called a "Xaranbel." Whether this is what our whaling piper is playing is unknown - perhaps the artist referred to a generic source for his model. But the fact remains that we have here an undeniably Basque scene that includes a bagpipe. We will continue to look into this interesting matter, and will be happy to accept any help. Below is the top half of the leaf, with the French text; we would appreciate a rough translation into English . We would also welcome comments about the piper's clothing - his pants and hat are not typical of anything we've seen.  The rest of the leaf, above the woodcut Scan Copyright 2007, Universe of Bagpipes |