Minstrels Collection

Black and white minstrels
A fashion shoot featuring the Black & White Minstrels in Tatler, 1962. The outfit worn by the model in the middle is a white silk, two-piece

Henry I, Count of Anhalt (From the Codex Manesse), Between 1305 and 1340. Artist: Anonymous
Henry I, Count of Anhalt (From the Codex Manesse), Between 1305 and 1340. Found in the collection of the Library of the Ruprecht Karl University, Heidelberg

Medieval frolics: wine, women and song
An alfresco medieval social gathering, with mixed bathing and music making. Date: c.1430

Country Fair / Circa 1859
A superb picture depicting stalls, sideshows and entertainers at a country fair. In the foreground a dancing bear entertains two sailors, children and a monkey

Otto IV, Margrave of Brandenburg and his wife, Hedwig of Holstein (colour litho)
3101038 Otto IV, Margrave of Brandenburg and his wife, Hedwig of Holstein (colour litho) by German School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Otto IV)

A Day at the Races
3 To 1, - Bar Two The singer Miss Annie Adams is pictured in the foreground enjoying champagne and lobsters from her Fortnum and Mason hamper

Volunteer fete at Crown, Point, near Norwich: - the Sports, 1862. Creator: Unknown
Volunteer fete given by Mr. Harvey, the High Sheriff of Norfolk, at Crown Point, near Norwich: the Sports, 1862....the sports...comprised a hurdle-race for mounted volunteers

Wandering Minstrels. Creator: Hubert Robert
Wandering Minstrels

Dr White Eyes Littlehampton Royal Court Minstrels
Dr White Eyes Littlehampton Royal Court Black Diamond Minstrels - Minstrel Troupe comprising Dr White Eyes himself in academic robes and holding a banjo (one eye white, one black), two jovial ladies

Illustration from the codex of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, c. 1280. Found in the Collection of Monasterio de El Escorial

Duke John I of Brabant (From the Codex Manesse), Between 1305 and 1340. Artist: Anonymous
Duke John I of Brabant (From the Codex Manesse), Between 1305 and 1340. Found in the collection of the Library of the Ruprecht Karl University, Heidelberg

Up In A Balloon, 1869 (print)
3672805 Up In A Balloon, 1869 (print) by American School, (19th century); Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois, USA; (add.info.: James Francis Driscoll collection of historical American sheet music)

3673392

3673595

Minstrel - male costume of 15th century (engraving)
3780424 Minstrel - male costume of 15th century (engraving); (add.info.: Shown playing harp, wearing scarlet tunic with dagged-edged sleeves, parti-coloured leggings and a black hat. c)

Moorish Dance, 1529 (hand-coloured print)
IND368815 Moorish Dance, 1529 (hand-coloured print) by Spanish School, (16th century); Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, Germany; (add.info.: Danza moresca; ); Otus/Index

Fireworks in Venice, illustration for Fetes Galantes by Paul Verlaine (1844-96) 1924 (pochoir print)
STC98143 Fireworks in Venice, illustration for Fetes Galantes by Paul Verlaine (1844-96) 1924 (pochoir print) by Barbier, Georges (1882-1932); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection

Minstrels entertaining a lord in his castle on a winters night (colour litho)
3622078 Minstrels entertaining a lord in his castle on a winters night (colour litho) by Beuzon, Joseph (1864-1940); Private Collection; (add.info)

Ms Hunter 229 f. 21v Detail showing musicians, from the Hunterian Psalter, c. 1170 (pen & ink and tempera on vellum)
GUL174586 Ms Hunter 229 f.21v Detail showing musicians, from the Hunterian Psalter, c.1170 (pen & ink and tempera on vellum) by English School

La Fontaines Fables - Ass and the Little Dog
Vintage engraving from La Fontaines Fables, Illustraed by Gustave Dore. The Ass and the Little Dog

Blondel de Nesle
" Vintage engraving showing a scene from the third crusade Blondel hears the voice of the imprisoned Richard the Lionheart

Two Minstrels Stained Glass, , 1885 / 95. Creator: James Egan
Two Minstrels Stained Glass, , 1885/95

Saint Christopher Taking Leave of the King Who Feared Satan; Saint Christopher and His Converts, 1480/85

Minstrels and Jugglers at Court (hand-coloured engraving)
3611981 Minstrels and Jugglers at Court (hand-coloured engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: ); eGiancarlo Costa; French, out of copyright

Arriere-Saison a Brighton, Les "Minstrels"sur la plage (engraving)
3623960 Arriere-Saison a Brighton, Les " Minstrels" sur la plage (engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Arriere-Saison a Brighton)

Anglo-Saxon Minstrels (engraving)
3654588 Anglo-Saxon Minstrels (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Anglo-Saxon Minstrels)

A depiction of the Sangerkrieg, a contest between minstrels at the Wartburg castle in Thuringia in 1207
3647875 A depiction of the Sangerkrieg, a contest between minstrels at the Wartburg castle in Thuringia in 1207, from the Codex Manesse (engraving) by German School

Troubadors (litho)
5997272 Troubadors (litho) by Seifert, Alfred (1850-1901); Private Collection; (add.info.: Troubadors. Illustration from El Mundo Ilustrado Biblioteca de Las Familias)

The Sangerkrieg, a contest between minstrels at the Wartburg castle in Thuringia in 1207 (engraving)
5208046 The Sangerkrieg, a contest between minstrels at the Wartburg castle in Thuringia in 1207 (engraving) by Schwind, Moritz Ludwig von (1804-71) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Sketches at Cowes during the Regatta Week (engraving)
1627323 Sketches at Cowes during the Regatta Week (engraving) by Holland Tringham, Joseph (1861-1908); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sketches at Cowes during the Regatta Week)

Mediaeval Pastime--Minstrels, Jugglers, and Dwarf (engraving)
655723 Mediaeval Pastime--Minstrels, Jugglers, and Dwarf (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Mediaeval Pastime--Minstrels, Jugglers, and Dwarf)

Travelling musicians, 15th Century (coloured engraving)
976096 Travelling musicians, 15th Century (coloured engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Travelling musicians, 15th Century)

Adenez, The King of the Minstrels (chromolitho)
1094596 Adenez, The King of the Minstrels (chromolitho) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Adenez, The King of the Minstrels)

Minstrels at a Banquet in the Fourteenth Century (engraving)
664447 Minstrels at a Banquet in the Fourteenth Century (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Minstrels at a Banquet in the Fourteenth Century)

Summer is gone (engraving)
1603585 Summer is gone (engraving) by Hopkins, Everard (1860-1928); Private Collection; (add.info.: Summer is gone. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 1 October 1892)

Fol. 4r Musicians playing castanets and a psaltery, from the
XIR192408 Fol.4r Musicians playing castanets and a psaltery, from the Chansonnier des Nobles (vellum) by Portuguese School, (13th century); Biblioteca del Palacio Nacional de Ajuda, Lisbon

Twenty-eight performers emerging from a giant pate at a medieval feast to sing and dance (engraving)
6029328 Twenty-eight performers emerging from a giant pate at a medieval feast to sing and dance (engraving) by French School

Scene of a Tournament in the Fourteenth Century, 1812 (for detail see 89703
PWI89702 Scene of a Tournament in the Fourteenth Century, 1812 (for detail see 89703) (oil on canvas) by Revoil, Pierre Henri (1776-1842); 133x174 cm; Musee des Beaux-Arts, Lyon

Medieval minstrels and their instruments (chromolitho)
735783 Medieval minstrels and their instruments (chromolitho) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Medieval minstrels and their instruments)

Minstrels (chromolitho)
735765 Minstrels (chromolitho) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Minstrels. Liebig card)

The Sangerkrieg, a contest between minstrels at the Wartburg castle in Thuringia in 1207 (engraving)
3647279 The Sangerkrieg, a contest between minstrels at the Wartburg castle in Thuringia in 1207 (engraving) by Schwind, Moritz Ludwig von (1804-71); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Sangerkrieg)

Students Fair at the Pantheon, Paris (colour litho)
2818890 Students Fair at the Pantheon, Paris (colour litho) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Students fair at the Pantheon, Paris. Fete des etudiants)

Troubadors (colour litho)
3638305 Troubadors (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Troubadors. Illustration from The Worlds History, a Survey of Mans Record (Wiiliam Heinemann)

At the Regatta (engraving)
1614228 At the Regatta (engraving) by Woodville, Richard Caton II (1856-1927) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: At the Regatta. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 12 September 1885)

Group portrait of a family in an elegant interior (oil on canvas)
CH469037 Group portrait of a family in an elegant interior (oil on canvas) by Zijl, Gerrit Pietersz. van (1597-1665); 83.8x101.6 cm; Private Collection; Photo eChristies Images; Dutch

Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels (litho)
3101673 Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels (litho) by Wilson, Patten (1868-1928) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Horn and his followers disguised as minstrels)

Bal des Sauvages, detail of the central section, c. 1500 (tapestry)
XIR168784 Bal des Sauvages, detail of the central section, c.1500 (tapestry) by Flemish School, (16th century); Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Saumur, France; Flemish, out of copyright

Portion of the painted freize in the Great Chamber, c. 1575-85
BAL3907 Portion of the painted freize in the Great Chamber, c.1575-85 by English School, (16th century); Gilling Castle, Yorkshire, UK; English, out of copyright

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"Minstrels: Celebrating Music, Merriment, and Medieval Revelry" Step back in time to the enchanting world of minstrels, where black and white troubadours captivated audiences with their melodious tunes. Dating back centuries, these wandering musicians were revered for their ability to transport listeners through the power of music. Intriguingly depicted in historical artworks such as "Henry I, Count of Anhalt" from the Codex Manesse or "Duke John I of Brabant, " these minstrels brought joy and entertainment to medieval courts. With lutes strummed delicately and voices harmonizing beautifully, they enchanted nobles and commoners alike. Medieval frolics came alive amidst scenes filled with wine, women, and song. The country fair captured in a vibrant image from 1859 reveals a lively atmosphere where minstrels' melodies intertwined with laughter and merriment. Even Margrave Otto IV of Brandenburg couldn't resist joining his wife Hedwig in revelry during this colorful era. As time progressed, minstrelsy evolved into diverse forms of entertainment. From thrilling horse races that set hearts racing at "A Day at the Races" to whimsical adventures like floating "Up In A Balloon, " these performers adapted their craft to suit changing tastes. The legacy continued across continents as seen through Dr White Eyes Littlehampton Royal Court Minstrels who delighted audiences with their captivating performances. Their talent echoed ancient traditions while embracing modernity. Even illuminated manuscripts like the Cantigas de Santa Maria showcased minstrel figures playing instruments alongside religious devotion—a testament to their significance within society's fabric. Through artistry both anonymous and renowned—like those featured in Codex Manesse—we glimpse into an age when minstrels held courtly favor by weaving tales through song. These images remind us that music has always been a universal language capable of transcending time and connecting souls.