Guitar.

Louis Panormo

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Instrument

Guitar

Instrument Family

Strings

Maker

Louis Panormo

Place Made

United Kingdom ; London ; Europe ; England

Date Made

Circa 1845

Description

Technical description: One piece soundboard of spruce. Dendrochronological analysis of the soundboard shows that the last dated tree ring is 1839. Bridge of stained maple (?), the main section 100mm long and 30mm wide (in centre). Exclamation mark terminals at either end. Bridge pins of rosewood with mother-of-pearl eyes. Soundhole 88mm diameter. Soundhole decoration of alternate thin strips of rosewood and maple, arranged r/m/r/r/m/r/r/m/r then a wider band of rosewood, and then the inner pattern repeats. There is a second decorative band further out of r/m/r and then a wider band of rosewood then the r/m/r strips again. There is a wide band of rosewood at the edge of the soundboard with strips of m/r/r/m/r inside. The back and sides are of rosewood. There are inlaid strips of m/r/m at the bottom of the sides on either side of a rosewood piece which has a hole for an endpin in the middle. There are also four smaller holes above the endpin hole which may have held a tailpiece. The rosewood on the back has been veneered onto mahogany. There are three strips of maple/rosewood/maple on the back, and the back is edged with maple, with thin strips of rosewood and maple inside. Heel and neck of one piece of mahogany with a smooth curve between them. Traditional Spanish slipper joint between the heel and the body. Head of figured maple. Machine heads of brass with ivory rollers and buttons. Nut of ebony. Neck 313mm long, 46.5mm wide at the nut, 58mm wide at the body join. Fingerboard of ebony. 18 frets in total. Printed label reads "LOUIS PANORMO / [The] only maker of / Guitars in the Spanish Style / […] Bloomsbury / LONDON / Guitars of every description from 2 to 15 Guineas". The machine heads are stamped "POOLE" at the top. Faint pencil written inscription inside recording repair carried out in 1938. Accessories: Fitted leather-effect case. Overall size: 931 Body length: 449 Body width, upper bouts: 239 Body width, waist: 183 Body width, lower bouts: 298 Body depth: 98 (bottom) - 88 (neck join). These measurements do not include the back which is now seperate, 2mm thick. String length: 633 Technihal drawing available from The Friends of St Cecilia's. Please see http://www.stceciliasfriends.org.uk/ http://www.stceciliasfriends.org.uk/

Notes

A. Macaulay, April 1991; D.P. Martin, 2003.

Measurements

931.

Provenance

on loan to the Collection.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

2014

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