Explore

Showing results

Hide images

Cittern

'Belly, back and sides of pine, the plates overhanging the sides. A crudely carved rose. The sides are of even depth and at each side by the neck is applied a halved turned wooden rod, distantly recalling the halved balusters of earlier citterns. Offset neck surmounted by a fingerboard with twelve brass frets not all equally spaced. Pegbox with eight pegs for four double courses of wire, the first three steel, the fourth brass; the numbers of strings are inscribed inside the pegbox, which ends in a lobed, shield-shaped finial.' - Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments.(London, 1998), p. 47.

  • Date:
    1800 - 1850 (made)
  • Maker:
    Unknown
  • Collection:
    Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Inventory number:
    Loading...
  • Place of production:
    Germany
  • Culture:
  • Period:
  • Materials:joined, carved and planed pine soundboard, back and sides, brass frets
  • Specific materials/techniques:
  • Decorative elements:
  • Inscriptions:
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:
  • Repository:Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Measurements:Length: 66 cm length total, Length: 29.5 cm length of belly, Width: 21.5 cm, Depth: 4 cm, Length: 35.8 cm string length