Violin
ca. 1850 (made)
Not currently on display at the V&A
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place Of Origin |
This minature violin was most likely a tourist souvenir, thought to have been made in about 1850 in Mittenwald, a town in Bavaria, famous for producing violins, zithers and other stringed instruments. Its finial is decorated with the carved head of an old man and the back is decorated at the bottom with a townscape made up of marquetry of different coloured woods, a speciality of Bavaria, especially Augsburg, from the 1560s onwards.
object details
| Category | |
| Object Type | |
| Materials and Techniques | Carved and planed pine and sycamore, with inlaid marquetry of various coloured woods |
| Brief Description | Violin, the back inlaid with a townscape in marquetry with coloured woods, probably made in Mittenwald, ca. 1850 |
| Physical Description | "Pine belly and sycamore back, with black inlaid purfling. The back is inlaid with a loned panel containing a townscape in marquetry with coloured woods. Pegbox with a finial in the form of an old bald-headed man. Sycamore fingerboard with inlaid stringing following the outline." - Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard insturments, London, 1998, p. 18. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | This object was purchased for £2 - 5 - 0 from a Mr Baldwyn of Worcester in January 1871. |
| Production | Attribution place as suggested by Anthony Baines. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This minature violin was most likely a tourist souvenir, thought to have been made in about 1850 in Mittenwald, a town in Bavaria, famous for producing violins, zithers and other stringed instruments. Its finial is decorated with the carved head of an old man and the back is decorated at the bottom with a townscape made up of marquetry of different coloured woods, a speciality of Bavaria, especially Augsburg, from the 1560s onwards. |
| Bibliographic Reference | Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard insturments, London, 1998, p. 18. |
| Collection | |
| Accession Number | 10-1871 |
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| record created | December 19, 2006 |
| Record URL |