Lyre guitar.
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InstrumentLyre guitar |
Instrument FamilyStrings |
MakerAmedee Thibout |
Place MadeEurope ; France ; Paris ; Western Europe |
Date MadeCirca 1805 |
DescriptionTechnical description: Lyre shaped guitar. Bookmatched soundboard of spruce with medium width grain. Rectangular bridge of ebony with inset mother-of-pearl plate on the top into which the bridge pins are placed. Bridge 89mm long by 19mm wide. Three bridge pins survive, but all are from a variety of sources - one is rosewood, another ebony with a mother-of-pearl dot, and the third ebony with an ivory dot. Decorative floral mustachios of ebony at either end of the bridge. Two soundholes, each 52mm diameter, edged with rosewood and surrounded by a diamond and dot (the dots having ebony centres) pattern in mother-of-pearl let into rosewood, with mother-of-pearl strips either side. The same pattern is used as a soundboard edging. The back and sides are mahogany (the back veneered with at least two plys), with an ebony edging between them, and ebony edging at the top of the sides next to the soundboard. The base is mahogany. There was a mounding around the bass which is ebony and gilt. Only the section on the soundboard remains. The heel and neck are veneered in ebony, probably over a pine core. They join each other at a sharp angle. On the top of the head is a metal Anthemion terminal. The top of the lyre arms have gilt eagle-head terminals. The nut is of ivory. The fingerboard is ebony with bar frets. The neck is 297mm long, 43mm wide at the nut and 55mm wide at the body join. Overall size: 755 Body length: 380 Body width, upper concave curves: 274 Body width, widest point: 325 Body width, bottom: 168 Body depth: 86 (bottom) - 64 (neck join) String length: 594 |
NotesA. Macaulay, July 1991; D.P. Martin, 2003. |
Measurements755. |
ProvenanceGovernment allocation to the University, 1991. |
CollectionMIMEd ; C.H. Brackenbury Memorial Collection |
Accession Number1111 |