The Percussionist

In this unusually large miniature, Pierre-Guillaume Boëlle¹ portrayed a drummer in exotic costume. The muscular man is wearing a brightly coloured feather cloak with a broad belt and a hat, also decorated with long feathers. His upper body is naked, and he has fastened the cloak loosely at his back. The wild drummer is also wearing decorative accessories: dangling earrings of red beads and a matching chain adorn his head and neck. He is playing three kettledrums, a smaller drum, and a triangle to provide music to accompany a ritual event, which he is watching intently. Another upright drum with bells hangs beside him on a tree trunk. The trees and coastline in the background suggest a faraway setting.
The portrait probably illustrates a scene from a novel or a play that was popular at the time. The man’s Western physiognomy suggests that he is not a native, but a European who has adopted the local customs for unknown reasons. The fascination with far-off cultures, different customs, and other ways of life was reflected in numerous travelogues written and published by returning adventurers and explorers.² They stimulated the imagination of writers, composers, and artists, and became incorporated either more or less realistically into their creations.
B. P.