Arch-Cittern
1775 - 1785 (Made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Citterns were usually wire-strung instruments, like this example, and those with extra unstopped strings in the bass were known as 'arch-citterns'. This elegant instrument was most likely made in Paris in about 1780, and was probably intended for drawing rooms and salons, whereas the German and Swiss versions of the arch-cittern were more often used for playing folk music.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Planed and joined sycamore back and sides, with ebony stringing; planed, joined pine soundboard, purfled (bordered) with ebony and mother-of-pearl; turned ebony tuning pegs with ivory studs, plained ebony fingerboard with brass frets. |
| Brief description | Arch-cittern, sycamore back and side, ebony and mother-of-pearl decoration, French, 1775-1795. |
| Physical description | "Back of two pieces of sycamore. Belly with a paper rose. The purfling resembles that on 11/12 [arch-cittern by Sébastien Renaut, Museum no.: 207-1882: i.e. "barber's pole purfling of ebony and mother of pearl"] and the sides of the body are singularly concave. Ebony fingerboard with seventeen frets. Pegboxes, number of strings, and oblique upper nut similar to 11/12 [i.e. "The main pegbox has eleven [tuning pegs], for four double courses and three single. The upper pegbox has five for five single basses, and has an oblique nut."] - Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), pp. 53-54. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | This instrument was part of the collections of Carl Engel (1818-1882) and was bought by this Museum for £3. |
| Production | 'Clearly the work of one of the Parisian luthiers of the period, possibly Renault' - Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 54. |
| Summary | Citterns were usually wire-strung instruments, like this example, and those with extra unstopped strings in the bass were known as 'arch-citterns'. This elegant instrument was most likely made in Paris in about 1780, and was probably intended for drawing rooms and salons, whereas the German and Swiss versions of the arch-cittern were more often used for playing folk music. |
| Bibliographic reference | Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), pp. 53-54. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 211-1882 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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