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Lute

The 15 original ribs of the shell are made from "shaded" yew. The two-piece front with a carved rose is made from spruce with a narrow, even grain. The bridge is made from pearwood and ebony veneer. The neck, fingerboard and pegbox have an ebony veneer and the back of each of the two pegboxes has a carved vine pattern panel. The 21 pegs are made from rosewood embellished with a small bone pin. The following repair labels on the inside of the instrument are listed in chronological order: Label: 'Joannes Udairicus Eberle Lauten and Geigen Macher in Prag, 1729'. The13-course neck and head conversion was done by Eberle. Label: 'Peter Pruka Harfen Macher in Brydeditg Anno Domini 1822'. In 1968 the original front was removed and replaced by new front that was barred in the style M. Hoffman 1692 (Nuremberg, M1 245 Germanisches National Museum) A new replacement bridge was also made. In April 1978 the instrument was taken to Martin Bowers' workshop for restoration to the front, back, neck and head. Robert Spencer acquired the lute in December 1964.

  • Culture:
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  • Materials:
  • Specific materials/techniques:carved (woodwork), yew, spruce, pearwood, ebony, rosewood, bone
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  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:
  • Repository:Royal Academy of Music Museum
  • Measurements:length: 126mm; width: 315mm; Height: 185mm; string length: 735mm; string length: 101.3mm