Guitar.

Technical description: Baroque guitar in original form. Bookmatched soundboard of spruce. Dendrochronological analysis of the soundboard shows that the last tree ring on the bass side dates from 1769, and on the treble side from 1759. Soundhole 73mm diameter. No evidence of rose. Purfling around soundhole has ivory at the edge, then thin strips of brown stained wood (probably maple)/ivory/brown/ivory, then barber-pole effect ebony and ivory, then strips of ivory/brown/ivory/brown. Then there is a 4mm wide are of soundboard wood, before a wider inlaid purfling arranged brown/natural wood (probably maple)/brown/natural/brown/natural then 5 strips of brown glued together to give the impression of a wide strip, then maple/brown/maple/brown/maple/brown, then another width of soundboard wood 3mm wide, then two brown strips glued together to imitate a wider strip. The edging is of ivory, with brown/ivory/brown/ivory strips inside, then barber-pole effect ebony and ivory, and then strips of ivory/brown/ivory/brown. The tie bridge is of ebony with added carved moustachios at either end. The sides have three wide pieces of figured maple with wide pieces of kingwood in between, the kingwood having thin strips coloured maple and brown (same material as on the soundboard purfling) on either side. The bottom of the instrument has a tapered piece of kingwood surrounded by thin maple/brown/maple/brown strips. There is a small ivory endpin. The back is of alternate bands of figured maple and walnut, nine at the widest point, separated by ebony/maple/ebony thin strips. The maple is less highly figured than that used on the sides. Smaller bands of walnut on either side of the central maple band. The edging between the back and sides is rosewood, with maple and ebony strips on the back. There are ivory buttons near the heel and the bottom. The heel and neck are ebonised, the wood probably maple, and the head is of beech, with ebony veneer on the front and rear surfaces. Sharp joint between the heel and neck, and Vjoint between the neck and head. 10 pegs of boxwood with ivory buttons and decorative rings. Ivory nut. Ebony fingerboard, 272mm long, flush with the soundboard which extends onto the neck. Total neck length 312mm, width at nut 42.6mm, at body join 53.4mm. Gut frets. Repair History: Smaller bands of walnut have been added to the back on either side of the central maple band during a 20th-century restoration. Restored by Andrew Dipper, 1985.