Guitar
5
Alternative TitleChitarra. |
InstrumentGuitar |
Instrument FamilyStrings |
MakerPietro Railich |
Place MadeVenice; Southern Europe; Italy; Europe |
Date MadeCirca 1650 |
DescriptionSoundboard of spruce, two pieces joined in the centre. Bridge made of ebony. "Star and arch" shaped decoration of ivory, ebony, and black mastic around the rosehole, with floral decoration in ivory and black mastic below the bridge and between the soundhole and the neck. Edging around the soundboard of ebony and ivory lines, with alternate ivory dots and diamonds set in black mastic. Soundhole 85.5mm diameter, bevelled from the inside of the surrounding decoration to the edge of the hole. Back and sides of parquetry work in the shape of a series of chevrons, carried out in dark yew and maple. There is a strip of dark yew, typically 19mm wide between the soundboard and the start of the parquetry work. The parquetry work has been built up over a inner core of parchment and paper, which still has writing on it, although the strips used are quite small and no words can be fully made out, although one strip has a series of numbers on it, probably coming from some sort of account book. The back is arched over its length and width. The neck core appears to be of spruce, the back of the heel, neck, and head veneered with the same chevron pattern in ivory and ebony, with wider ebony strips at either side. The joint between the heel and neck is sharp, and there is a V joint between the neck and the head. The core wood of the head cannot be determined, though may be maple. all of the visible edges of the head show alternate layers of dark yew and maple. The fingerboard and top of the head have marquetry work of ivory, broken up by a rope pattern which is made of strips of ebony and ivory, with alternate dots and diamonds of ivory set in a black mastic, similar to the decoration around the edge of the soundboard. The nut is of ivory, and the tuning pegs are of ebony with ivory dots on the heads. String setup: 5 courses: (5 × 2) strings, 10 strings in total. Overall size: 948mm Body length: 464mm Body width, upper bouts: 212mm Body width, waist: 191mm Body width, lower bouts: 258mm Body depth: 130mm String length: 684mm Signature marks: No label inside the instrument. A stamped impression featuring a floral wreath with a cross and the initials PR can be seen at the bottom of the instrument on the wide yew strip below the soundboard. Repair History: Pegs and bridge probably earlier replacements. Back stabilised by Stephen Gottlieb, 1987; conservation work grant-aided by the Scottish Museums Council. |
NotesA. Macaulay, July 1991; D.P. Martin, 2003. |
Measurements948. |
CollectionMacaulay Collection; MIMEd |
Accession Number1597 |