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Hurdy-gurdy

6 strings (5 drone + one stopped). Body: viol-shaped; back, ribs: plain sycamore, belly: pine; all varnished golden brown, with a band of darker colour along the ribs; soundholes: C-form, near the base, each of 4 pierced holes; pegbox: sycamore, attached to belly; keybox: maple, attached to belly and pegbox, with 6 sagittal anterior pegs of rosewood (?oak); cover: pine veneered with ebony, with boxwood stringing, hinges and an ivory clasp; 24 keys, alternately of ivory (above) and ebony (below); the 6 strings fixed occipitally, the gros et petit bourdons on the lh side, passing over an ebony nut and an auxiliary bridge to an ivory bracket; the 2 mouche strings are on the rh, one passing over an auxiliary bridge, the other through a hole in an additional foot; the chanterelle and trompette strings pass through the keybox and over the main bridge to go a trapezoidal tailpiece of ebony, fixed to the belly, secured with a gut tie to an ivory peg. Rotary friction wheel: boxwood on an iron axle, with crank and wooden handle; all the strings pass over the edge of the wheel. Wheel guard: veneered and inlaid with ebony, and held between ebony brackets on the belly. 3 mahogany pins in the ribs for attaching a carrying-sling. Length 720, back 485, height 210, ribs 92, wheel 92, wheel 160

  • Date:
    early 19th century
  • Maker:
    Colson, Nicolas [Person]
  • Collection:
    Royal Northern College of Music
  • Inventory number:
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  • Place of production:
    Mirecourt (Timezone: Europe/Paris)
  • Culture:
  • Period:early 19th century
  • Materials:
  • Specific materials/techniques:
  • Decorative elements:
  • Inscriptions:stamped on side of keyboard box: COLSON / A MIRECOURT
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:
  • Repository:Royal Northern College of Music