Contemplating the Virginal

On Tuesday, April 11, we walked to the Museum Gustavianum to view a virginal. Are they so uncommon in Sweden that you can only find one in a museum? Apparently. In any case, CJ was determined to investigate and so, against my better judgement, we paid our 50 crowns apiece and went looking for one.

Museum Gustavianum

As it turns out, one of the many objects to be found in the incredible 17th century Augsburg Art Cabinet is a virginal.

Here are two views of the cabinet with a description:

Augsburg Art Cabinet

The other side of the cabinet

One of the upper drawers contained the mysteriously named virginal.

The virginal is a keyboard instrument!

The hole in the side is for a large key used for automatic playing

The other side

The back of the virginal

Burning question: is it still a virginal after it has been played? The answer seems to be unavailable perhaps because good taste forbids such speculation.

Here are a few other items from the cabinet:

This, whatever it may be, is carved from ivory

Pages of music on the backs of the playing cards, plus a chessboard. (The players apparently could stop and sing together; the music appears to be the same song, different vocal part, on these two cards.)

Teeny-tiny bird cage complete with droppings!

In other areas of the museum, we saw these:

17th century lantern from Russia. It features a vintage electric candle.

This viking helmet comes from a boat burial a few miles north of Uppsala

The anatomical theater. Requests for a photograph of CJ lying on the table went unheeded.

We walked through the Botanical Gardens on the way back to our apartment.

An arch in the Botanical Gardens

In the Botanical Gardens

Still life along one of the buildings in the Botanical Gardens. Spring is coming but very slowly.