Guitar
late 18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The English guitar was in vogue from about 1750 until 1790, and was particularly popular among fashionable ladies in both Scotland and England. The modern Portuguese guitar is descended from this type of instrument. Although it was made in about 1780 or later, this instrument was slightly more old-fashioned in that it was plucked with nails rather than struck with keys, and tuned with wooden pegs rather than small bolts that were turned by a watch-key. This English guitar was made by Joseph Rudiman (1733–1810), widely regarded as the best Scotch violin and cello maker of his day.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wood, ebony, ivory and tortoiseshell, with a gilt stamped metal rose |
| Brief description | English guitar with pear shaped body, made by Joseph Rudiman, Aberdeen, Scotland, late 18th century. |
| Physical description | English guitar with a pear shaped body, with 10 metal strings, 8 of which are tuned in pairs in unison, and with a metal rose. It has a panel of mother-of-pearl on the back which is inscribed. It is decorated with a red tortoiseshell fingerboard with silver frets and four capotasto holes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given to the Museum by Carl Engel |
| Summary | The English guitar was in vogue from about 1750 until 1790, and was particularly popular among fashionable ladies in both Scotland and England. The modern Portuguese guitar is descended from this type of instrument. Although it was made in about 1780 or later, this instrument was slightly more old-fashioned in that it was plucked with nails rather than struck with keys, and tuned with wooden pegs rather than small bolts that were turned by a watch-key. This English guitar was made by Joseph Rudiman (1733–1810), widely regarded as the best Scotch violin and cello maker of his day. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 375-1882 |
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| Record created | September 6, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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