Chitarrone
1592 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Wendelin Tieffenbrucker belonged to a family of Bavarian luthiers, who had settled in Padua by about 1570. This example was probably a lute, subsequently converted into a chitarrone, a long-necked version with extra unstopped strings in the bass. This instrument once belonged to the painter, Sigismund Goetze (1866-1939), who may have acquired it as a potential artist's prop.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved and plained pine soundboard; planed and shaded (unidentified) wooden ribs; ebony-veneered neck with ivory stringing; panels on fingerboard and back of neck veneered with ebony inlaid with ivory in <i>contre-partie<i> |
| Brief description | Chitarrone, Italian (Padua), ebony and ivory inlaid decoration, Wendelin Tieffenbrucker, 1592. |
| Physical description | 'Body of nineteen shaded ribs. Belly of two pieces of pine, carved with a fine rose with an arabesque interlace pattern. The bridge appears to have been moved about 2.5 cm upwards. revealing a patch of criss-cross hatching on the belly where the bridge was previously placed. The neck has been broken and is probably not wholly the original neck. It is veneered with ebony and has stringing lines of ivory and marquetry panels with grotesque patterns apparently of mid-seventeenth century date or slightly later. The panels on the back of the neck and on the long head are the contre-parties of those on the front on each case. The main pegbox has eleven pegs, for single treble course, the rest double. The upper pegbox is for eight single strings' - Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), pp. 35-36. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | I.5.9.2. / In Padoua Vuendelio Venere (Date written in ink, and luthier and place of manufatcure printed on a label inside the lute. Wendelin Tieffenbrucker's middle name was 'Venere', and on some of his labels he signs himself Vvendelio Venere de Leonardo Tieffenbrucker (Wendelin Venere son of Leonardo Tieffenbrucker).) |
| Gallery label | CHITARRONE
Italian
By Wendelin Tieffenbrucker, Padua, 1592
Soundboard of pine, neck veneered with ebony and ivory stringing, and fingerboard decorated with marquetry. The neck would seem to have been altered at a later date. It has been suggested that the instrument was originally a lute.
Non-Keyboard Catalogue No.: 7/15
The chitarrone was larger than the theorbo and served both for solo playing and accompaniment for singing. Its extended neck allowed for extra bass strings, usually eight in number.
Wendelin Tieffenbrucker belonged to a famous family of luthiers that originated in Bavaria and settled in Venice in about 1500. Wendelin worked in Padua, making instruments that span from 1551 until about 1600.
Given by Mrs Constance Goetze.
W.6-1940(pre September 2000) |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Sigismund Goetze in memory of her husband |
| Object history | This instrument was presented to the Museum in 1940 by Constance Goetze in memory of her late husband, the painter Sigismund Goetze (Nominal File MA.1/G982). Sigismund Christian Hubert Goetze (1866-1939) was British painter, best known for the mural scheme he executed at the Foreign Office 1912-1921, on the subject of the British Empire. He had earlier given a sixteenth-century form or bench (W.78-1924) to the Museum. |
| Production | Attribution note: 'This is a good lute which was converted to a chitarrone in the eightheenth century or later. The marquetry on the fingerboard appears to be identical to that on a lute by Hans Frei in the County Museum, Warwick. Both instruments have been presumably been re-necked." Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 36 |
| Summary | Wendelin Tieffenbrucker belonged to a family of Bavarian luthiers, who had settled in Padua by about 1570. This example was probably a lute, subsequently converted into a chitarrone, a long-necked version with extra unstopped strings in the bass. This instrument once belonged to the painter, Sigismund Goetze (1866-1939), who may have acquired it as a potential artist's prop. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.6-1940 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | May 16, 2001 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
