The image on the cover of this issue is a detail from a painting by Egbert von Heemskerk, who painted at least three pipers playing what we would recognise as ’Lowland’ bagpipes. [The other two were published in Welcome Home My Dearie.] This painting, recently discovered by Andrew Holgate, shows much the same piper as one of the others,  but is of particular interest because it clearly shows the two equal tenor drones. The problem is that dating the paintings is a conundrum, since art experts seem unable to decide upon the dates of the painter; most agree that there were two  of the same name, father and son. The ‘father’, the most likely candidate, moved from Haarlem to London in 1680 and died there in 1704. He is particularly recognised for his paintings of tavern scenes.
The piper shown here is almost certainly English, and probably a member of the Musicianh’s Guild. The painting thus presents yet another challenge to accepted ideas about the ‘Lowland Bagpipe’. It is also of interest to note that all three of Heemskerk’s pipers are accompanying what we might call ‘community singing’.