Lyre-shaped guitar.
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InstrumentLyre guitar |
Instrument FamilyStrings |
Date MadeEarly 19th Century |
DescriptionTechnical description: Soundboard of spruce. Soundhole 77mm diameter. Moustache shaped ebony bridge, the lower side having a convex curve except at the middle, where it is a point, achieved by concave curves. Concave curves at either side of the strings on the upper side, ending in points, with ebony dots and mother-of-pearl eyes. Ivory bridge saddle. 6 bridge pins of ebony with mother-of-pearl eyes.Back and sides of maple or walnut. The back is noticeably arched from the bottom to the heel. Ebonised neck and head of walnut(?). Heel flows smoothly into the neck. Head in a symmetrical floral shape. 7 friction pegs of fruitwood (plum(?)) with ivory eyes at the back and mother-of-pearl eyes on the top end. Ivory nut. Arched fingerboard of walnut(?). Neck 53.9mm wide at nut, 63.6mm wide at head. Mother-of-pearl position markers at fret 7 (diamond shape) and fret 12 (dot). 18 frets in total. Bar frets 1.1mm wide. Arms extend to a line halfway between frets 11 and 12, and have outward curving solid wood scrolls on the ends. Body in the central section joins the heel at fret 17. Large endpin in the bottom of ebony with mother of pearl eye. The instrument has been stained and varnished, and then much of it has been decorated with raised gold floral decoration. This work covers all of the front of the soundboard and head, the top of the arms and the bottom around the endpin, and forms a border on the back. The scrolls at the end of the arms are decorated with gold flowers and dots. Overall size: 951 Body length: 360 (along centre) Body width, top of scrolls: 334 Body width, top of arms: 264 Body width, widest point: 369 Body depth: 104.5 (bottom) - 68 (heel), 37.5 (end of arms) String length: 634 No old inscriptions, modern stuck-on circular piece on paper on endpin with a handwritten "17" on it. |
NotesA. Macaulay, 1992; D.P. Martin, 2003. |
Measurements951. |
Provenanceex- Van Raalte Collection; failed to sell at the 1927 auction; subsequently purchased by H.I. Brackenbury from Sir Arthur Wheeler, 9 December 1929, for £2/0/0. ; Government allocation to the University, 1991. |
CollectionMIMEd ; C.H. Brackenbury Memorial Collection |
Accession Number1112 |