English guitar

English guitar, cittern. One-piece back and ribs, in one piece, of figured maple. The back is edged with inked purfling. There are ten ivory buttons to hold the strings at the base, and an ivory tailpin for a neck-strap. The bookmatched table is of spruce, the grain widening towards the edges. The edge between the table and the ribs is formed of slips of alternating dark and light wood in a barber's pole pattern. The varnish is of a light brown colour, the table slightly redder. Narrow wooden bridge. The cast brass domed rose depicts two players, one of a transverse flute, with a floral surround. There is black inked purfling around the rose hole which is edged with a turned ivory ring. The fingerboard is veneered in tortoiseshell and edged with an ornate pattern in mother-of-pearl. Twelve frets. Wood and ivory capo tasto. The sickle shaped head terminates in a finial with a floral design. Watch-key tuning for ten wire strings, and watch-key. Stamped on the back of the head: "GR" (monograhm) surmounted by a crown, and "PRESTON MAKER/LONDON". The tuning mechanism is engraved with the note names: 'C E G C E G', with 'PRESTON INVENTOR' below.