Philomele

Philomele, a form of wire-strung violin with a flat back. Outline with sloping shoulders and only two corners, at junction of upper bouts with continuous middle and lower bouts. Flat front of very fine grain with two flame holes. Light gold varnish. Intarsia panel in various woods, some coloured, inlaid in front below bridge within a cartouche of purfling, showing a townscape of high-pitched roofs and a church with mountains beyond. One line of purfling plus chequered edge-banding. Back flat, without purfling. Pegbox with lion head and four machine tuners. Combined bridge and hitchpiece jointed to the end of the fingerboard and glued to front. Strings pass over bone slip in top of bridge and are hitched to brass pins in the tailside of the bridge. End of fingerboard has openings cut below bowing area. Back has three transverse bars.