Archlute, pine ribs and belly, ebonized sycamore neck. Body Italian, from about 1650, neck added later

'Body of twenty-three shaded ribs of pine. The pine belly has an inset carved wooden rose and a crude later bridge. The sycamore neck, of later date than the body, is thinned on the rear along the bass side and has six ivory frets. There are also five frets glued to the belly, and the instrument has been much used since these were fitted. The upper head is set well askew to the centre line of the neck. There are eight rosewood pegs in the main pegbox and nine in the upper, for single stringing throughout.' - Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 32.

This instrument was part of the collections of Carl Engel (1818-1882) and was bought by the Museum in 1882 for £6.

According to Anthony Baines, the body of this instrument is Italian, 17th century, but the neck was added at a later (unspecified date). The bridge resembles that of early nineteenth century guitar. Lutes were still played in Germany up until about 1840, when they had fallen out of fashion elsewhere in Europe. The neck and bridge could have been added in Germany or England.

An archlute is a lute with with extra unstopped strings added in the bass. This instrument has no signature or date, but the body was probably made in about 1650 and the neck and bridge added as late as the early 1800s. This instrument belonged to Carl Engel (1818-1882) an eminent musicologist and collector from Hanover, Germany, who particularly enjoyed playing the lute. When the Museum acquired this instrument in 1882 it was described as being 'in playable condition' and Engel may, indeed, have played it.

196-1882