321.1 Bow lutes (-5)

Valga, pluriarc or bow lute, with a string-bearer for each string. The resonator is a bottle-shaped, straight-sided box, with a soundboard attached by means of wooden pegs and round-headed brass nails. The five bows are bound together with basket-work and the resulting neck shows signs of having been covered with mud. The tops of the bows are notched to carry the strings. The slots are reinforced with a binding of fibre. The strings pass through the soundboard, and there is no provision for replacing them, should they break. The walls of the resonator are decorated with incised rectangular designs and a stripe of white pigment. A pattern in which and red is painted on the soundboard. The bridge is a replacement.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
M24.8.56/192
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 887 x 100 x 116 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
wood; grass; gut; metal thread; metal
CATEGORY
Musical Instruments
LOCATION
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Collection Information

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