Harp-guitar.

Phipps

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Instrument

Harp guitar

Instrument Family

Strings

Maker

Phipps

Place Made

Europe ; England ; London ; United Kingdom

Date Made

Circa 1820

Description

Technical description: A bell shaped guitar, deriving from the body designs of Edward Light. Soundboard of spruce. Bridge of black stained maple, with an ivory piece attached to the top at the back. The strings pass through the bridge from the front and then go over the top. The bridge is 126mm long, 28mm wide at the bottom part and 13mm wide where the strings pass through. The rosehole is 85mm diameter, with remains of a carved wood rose. Gold painted purfling around rosehole. Painted purfling around the edge of the instrument consisting of a black background with gold lyres, heads and wreath work. Gold painted floral leaves on the soundboard between the bottom of the instrument and the bridge, and between the bridge and the rosehole. The back and sides consist of three tapered wide maple ribs with a capping piece at the bottom. The central rib on the back is flat, and has an oblong hole near the top end, 70mm long by 14.5mm wide, with rounded ends. The two side ribs are curved over their width. The bottom capping piece is curved over its length and shaped so that the ribs are glued to the top edge of it. In the centre of this rib is an ivory endpin. The back and sides are slightly figured, and have been varnished a walnut brown colour. There are decorative gold lines at the edges of each rib and the capping piece. The neck and head are of the same piece of wood, probably maple which has been stained black. The heel forms the top end capping for the body, and there is a smoothly flowing curve into the neck. The back of the head is decorated by a gilt floral leaf design and a gold line near the edge. The top of the head has the same decoration. There are six metal tuning pegs which require a tuning hammer to turn. The fingerboard is of ebony, chamfered over its width, with ivory frets. The wear on the frets indicates that the instrument has been much played. The neck is 181mm long, 53mm wide at the nut and 65mm wide at the body join. There are twelve frets. The fingerboard itself is 226mm long in the centre. Overall size: 751 Body length: 520 Body width, widest point: 310 Body depth: 140 (maximum) String length: 441 Painted inscription in gold on the top face of the head reads "Phipps & Compy. / London".

Notes

A. Macaulay, 1992; D.P. Martin, 2003.

Measurements

751.

Provenance

Government allocation to the University, 1991.

Collection

MIMEd ; C.H. Brackenbury Memorial Collection

Accession Number

1072

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