Bass viol

This instrument has a spruce front made up of 5 staves which have been bent in to shape. The carved rose set in to the front is decorated with gilded parchment and has a delicate purfling surround. The back is made of two pieces of maple/sycamore and displays an inlaid geometrical design. The neck and head are maple replacements based on those of the 1598 lyra viol attributed to John Rose in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Hill Collection No 5). The ebony on maple fingerboard and tailpiece are also replacements.