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Instrument Information

Title

Bow for Langspil.

Accession Number

3386

Collection

MIMEd

Date Information

Date Made

First half of 19th century or earlier

Gallery Information

Gallery

Laigh Room

Case

Traditional instruments display

Maker Information

No information recorded.

Made In

Country

Iceland

Description

Technical Description

Technical description: The round, slightly undulating, beech bow ends in a tall meat cleaver head. The stick and frog are made of one piece of wood. The frog has a shaped base (rather than a flat one). Instead of a head wedge, a dowel extending from the top to the bottom of the head is used for the same purpose, but is placed on top of the hair instead of underneath it. The hair is attached to the frog end of the bow by means of a similar dowel, extending through the top of the stick.

Measurements: Weight: 34g. Hair length: 539mm. Balance point: 317.5mm. Head height: 27.6mm. Head width: 10.6mm. Face length: 27.6mm. Tip diameter: 8.4mm. Frog diameter: 8.35mm. Period of oscillation: 1.32. Distance from pivot to tail: 68.95mm. Ferrule width: 10.7mm. Frog + stick height: 25.0mm (measured in front of the dowel). Frog top length: 29.8mm.

There is a crack from the frog dowel towards the bottom of the frog.

Previous ownership: Acquired with lang spil (3385) and other items from the Faeroes and Iceland by the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art from R.M. Smith of Leith in December 1858.

Current ownership: Lent by the Trustees of the National Museum of Scotland, A301.26A.

Provenance

Acquired with lang spil (3385) and other items from the Faeroes and Iceland by the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art from R.M.|Smith of Leith in December 1858. ; Lent by the Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland, A301.26A.

Classification

Instrument

Bow/Bows/Bows/Musical Instrument ; Bow

Instrument Family

Bows