Tambourin de Béarn

A mid 18th-century tambourin à cordes or stringed drum with six gut strings. Front of coniferous wood of very fine grain; two leather/vellum roses, and between them an irregular-looking coat-of-arms. Gilded floral designs on front and sides. Sides and back of cherrywood. Front and back are each stiffened with four transverse bars. The six strings are hitched to ?boxwood buttons at the tail, pass over an ebony saddle to the bridges, and at the top over another saddle to the boxwood pegs in the end of the top-block.