Harp-lute-guitar, gilt and painted decoration, Harley, English, about 1810.

"Body of three ribs, the centre rib having an open slot-shaped soundhole, all stained dark brown, with gilt lines forming the borders. Belly with crudely painted gilt scroll-work borders, and with an inset rose fretted to form a Prince of Wales's feather-pattern with trumpets. Fixed bridge. The neck is affixed to the body a little over to the treble sides and has twelve ivory frets. The main pegbox is for seven gut strings, and the upper, which has a square finial and a slightly oblique nut, is for four strings." - Anthony Baines,Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), pp. 67-68.

The woods are are painted and gilded so they cannot be identified. However, pine and sycamore were the woods most commonly used, the former for the soundboard and the latter for the back and sides.

This instrument was part of the collections of Carl Engel (1818-1882) and was bought by the Museum in 1882 for £3.

As its name would suggest, the harp-lute-guitar is a hybrid of all three instruments, but unlike other fashionable variants, it's pegbox arrangement was similar to that of a lute, with additional unstopped strings in the bass. This example was made by Mr Harley, who traded only under his surname from Wych Street, London, from about 1800 until 1820. The 'Prince-of-Wales' feathers, which form the rose, may refer to Princess Charlotte (1796 - 1817), the Prince Regent's only daughter and an enthusiast for such instruments.

250-1882