zither

Zither, made of wood, in the form of a flat box, the strings set across the length with fingerboard at one side. The strings held with a double row of 31 pegs at the top and passed over the side to slot into grooves at the base. Seven strings missing. The fingerboard with metal frets and pearl inlay; the base with ebony backing and three ivory bun feet, the sides with inlaid rim. Beneath the sounding box hole in the manufacturer's printed label which reads: 'Bavaria Citter / von / JohannSuitner / Saiteninstrumentenmacher / Mittenwald in Oberbayern' with the date '1878' added by hand.