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Bass viol

"Of approximately violin shape. with belly, back and sides of mahogany. The belly, of a single piece, has un-nicked f-holes of crude form. The back, also of a single piece, is arched. Thick neck with short (40 cm) fingerboard and very crude scroll. The tailpiece is attached to a brass pin. Six pegs. ... This crude instrument is presumably amateur work, possibly made for a church band. The unusual mahogany body is not very resonant." Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), p. 8.

  • Date:
    about 1750 (Made)
  • Maker:
    Unknown
  • Collection:
    Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Inventory number:
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  • Place of production:
    England
  • Culture:
  • Period:
  • Materials:Planed and joined mahogany back, sides and belly; planed and carved mahogany neck; planed ebony fingerboard.
  • Specific materials/techniques:
  • Decorative elements:
  • Inscriptions:
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:
  • Repository:Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Measurements:Length: 113.5 cm total, Length: 62 cm body, Length: 64 cm string length