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"Back and sides of sycamore, decorated with ebony stringing lines. Belly, painted a cream colour with barber's-pole purfling of ebony and mother-of-pearl. The same border surrounds the soundhole, which is filled with a rough rose, perhaps not original. Concave sides, narrowing towards the neck. The black-painted neck has two star-shaped mother-of-pearl position marks inlaid among the bass edge. The ebony fingerboard has seventeen brass frets and three small ivory position dots. Ebony pegs with ivory studs. The main pegbox has eleven, for four double courses and three single. The upper pegbox has five, for five single basses, and has an oblique nut." - Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), p. 53.

  • Date:
    1780 - 1800 (Made)
  • Maker:
    Renault, Sébastien B. [Person]
  • Collection:
    Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Inventory number:
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  • Place of production:
    Paris
  • Culture:
  • Period:
  • Materials:planed and joined sycamore back and sides, with ebony stringing; planed, joined and painted pine soundboard, purfled (bordered) with ebony and mother-of-pearl; turned ebony tuning pegs with ivory studs, planed ebony fingerboard with brass frets.
  • Specific materials/techniques:
  • Decorative elements:
  • Inscriptions:SB Renault à Paris S.B.Renault in Paris.
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:
  • Repository:Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Measurements:Length: 110.5 cm total length, Length: 40 cm length of belly, Length: 81 cm maximum string length, Length: 49 cm minimum string length, Depth: 11.5 cm mean depth, Width: 31.5 cm