Palestine - Instruments de Musique Mentionnes dans les Pseaumes (Plate 15) (Musical Instruments Mentioned in the Psalms)

Description

This engraving represents possible visual equivalents of musical instruments mentioned in the Book of Psalms of the Old Testament. These drawings are not based on direct archaeological finds, but rather on a composite interpretation derived from philological descriptions by 19th-century European scholars, descriptions in ancient texts, and Classical Near Eastern iconography. The purpose of such paintings is to concretize for the reader the names of the instruments "played" or "blown" in the Psalms and to establish a connection between the sacred texts and archaeological/ethnographic material culture. Therefore, rather than a reference to music history, this engraving is a characteristic example of the "visualization of sacred texts" methodology prevalent in 19th-century theology and Palestinian studies. This method aimed to translate concepts from sacred texts into formal outlines perceivable to the modern eye.