Guittar (English guitar), cittern. One-piece back of maple. Ribs in one piece. Inked purfling. Barber's pole stringing of inlaid light and dark wood between table and ribs.Varnish of light brown. The table slightly redder. Rose of brass, depicting a two musicians, one playing a transverse flute, with a floral surround. Ornate fretboard veneered with red tortoiseshell, edged with mother of pearl.Three holes in the fretboard for capo tasto which survives. Twleve metal frets (one loose). Built for ten strings, with watchkey tuning. The sickle-shaped head terminates in a flat square finial, with a floral design ornament in relief in black sealing wax. Engraved with the note names on the watchkey tuning plate 'C E G C E G' and 'PRESTON INVENTOR'. Stamped (on the back of the head) 'GR' (monogram) surmounted by a crown 'PRESTON MAKER/LONDON'. Complete (except as below) with watchkey. Lacks four strings and decoration at lower end of fingerboard. Decoration on finial defective. Some splitting in table and back. Otherwise in good condition.
321.322 Necked box lutes or necked guitars (-5)
Continue exploring musical instruments
412.132-62 Sets of free reeds with flexible air reservoir
decorative piece
423.121.22
321.311-71 Spike bowl lutes sounded by bowing with a bow
Collection Information
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk