Music for the Eyes

Musical imagery and meaning in Florentine art

with Kate Bolton-Porciatti

In this four part seminar series, musicologist and cultural historian Kate Bolton-Porciatti illuminates the interplay between the visual arts and music in Florence. Richly illustrated with musical examples and images of Florentine artworks, the series brings to life scenes of music-making and dancing, reveals the stories behind portraits of musicians and composers, and unravels the symbolism and allegories woven into musical imagery. It also explores how the mathematical principles of musical ratios have been used through the centuries to give rhythm and harmony to sculpture and architecture. Each lecture offers the opportunity to hear the music depicted in a wide range of artworks - from Greco-Roman ceramics and sculptures to medieval and Renaissance frescoes, manuscript illuminations, and masterpieces by Beato Angelico, Duccio, Giorgione, Leonardo da Vinci, Filippino Lippi, Rosso Fiorentino, Titian and others – many of which are displayed in Florentine museums, galleries and churches. The series will ultimately deepen our appreciation of how music creates an intricate counterpoint of meanings in art, enriching it beyond the purely aesthetic.

30 September - 21 October 2025
Tuesdays 18:00-19:30 

In person lectures in the Library and simultaneously available on Zoom.

Recordings will be available for registered participants.