French lyre

'Lyre-shaped with no central neck. Back of five pieces of sycamore. Sides of two pieces joined edge to edge and lined with canvas. Belly of pine, with two open soundholes, loose bridge, eight ivory hitch-pins at the rounded base and also an ivory slinging button [or strap button]. The shoulders of the body are raised in the form of two horns, to each of which a curved and gilt solid wooden arm is attached in the manner of a guitar neck. These arms support a flat head with carved and gilt scrollwork and eight pegs inserted from the rear. From the head, a slightly curved fingerboard with fifteen ivory frets and shaped end projects downwards towards the body, ending short of it. Eight strings, five of gut, three of overspun silk. Ten capotasto holes'. Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-Keyboard Instruments (London, 1978), pp. 64-65.