The art style that dominated in Europe in the seventeenth century. Although some features appear in Dutch art, the Baroque style was limited mainly to Catholic countries. It is a style in which painters, sculptors, and architects sought emotion, movement, and variety in their works.
Music had been a popular motif already in early fine arts when mostly music scenes with religious reference were represented. However, already in ancient times we find secular pictures of music playing people f.e. in Egypt as symbol of courtly refined lifestyle on frescos and tomb walls. Representations of music in Rome and Greece – often as part of mystery scenes – testify the high social reputation of music. The Middle Ages brought forth many representations of music playing angels, secular representations of music can be found in manuscripts of songs respectively Minstrels' manuscripts. The genre paining of the 16th century depicts music scenes realistically, in the baroque period the first portraits of famous composers are created.