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Bass Viol

1688 (Made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This bass viol is the only viol known to have been made by John Baker of Oxford. Baker may have been the son of a more famous Oxford-based viol maker, William Baker (ca 1648–1685). This instrument would originally have had six strings and formed part of an ensemble of differently pitched viols known as a 'consort of viols'. It was later fitted with a 'cello's neck, peg box and only four tuning pegs, and so it presumably ended up being played like a 'cello.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Planed sycamore neck, side and back; planed ebony fingerboard; planed and purfled (bordered) ivory soundboard, carved ivory nut; carved sycamore scrolled peg box.
Brief description
Bass viol, sycamore body, subsequently converted into a 'cello, John Baker, Oxford, English, 1688.
Physical description
"Belly of five pieces of pine, with double purfling [bordering] and a central device similar to those on the Meares viol (1/3). Back of three pieces of sycamore, double purfled with decorative loops. The body linings are of canvas. A later neck (secured from inside the body by a large wood screw) and scroll head in crude violoncello style. Plain modern tailpiece attached to hook-bar, and ebony fingerboard inlaid with light coloured wood. Ivory nut (width 4 cm). Four Ebony pegs" Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), p. 4.
Dimensions
  • Total length: 111cm
  • Body length: 68.5cm
  • Body depth: 12.2cm
  • Upper bout width: 32cm
  • Lower bout width: 41cm
  • Depth: 23.5cm (Note: total depth including strings)
These measurements are taken from Anthony Baines:Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 4.
Marks and inscriptions
Jno. Baker/ Oxon 1688 (Label on the inside of the instrument in ink)
Object history
This instrument was formerly part of the collections of Carl Engel and was bought by the Museum for £6.
Summary
This bass viol is the only viol known to have been made by John Baker of Oxford. Baker may have been the son of a more famous Oxford-based viol maker, William Baker (ca 1648–1685). This instrument would originally have had six strings and formed part of an ensemble of differently pitched viols known as a 'consort of viols'. It was later fitted with a 'cello's neck, peg box and only four tuning pegs, and so it presumably ended up being played like a 'cello.
Bibliographic reference
Anthony Baines:Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 4.
Collection
Accession number
171-1882

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Record createdApril 22, 2008
Record URL
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