MASTERPIECE

The origin of this herald’s trumpet goes as far back as the Romans, but it is only through contacts with the Arab world, during the Crusades, that the shape and, consequently, the sound strength evolved into this type. By widening the bell and making the instrument longer, European trumpets became as impressive as their Arab counterparts.

Originally, the herald was an army commander led by trumpets and percussion. He becomes an announcer at medieval tournaments, which evolved into a professional sport in the Middle Ages. Parallel to this, around 1400, people discovered how to bend metal pipes without folding them. They did this using molten lead and with knowledge of melting temperatures. The various bent parts were joined together after bending.

This type of trumpet soon became emblematic of European royal houses. They can be seen in miniatures of books of hours as early as the beginning of the 15th century, but the tournament tradition disappears before the end of the 15th century. Other surviving specimens, with signatures, were made in Basel and Nuremberg. Other examples from the Low Countries from the second half of the 16th century are not known.