Viola
Maker
Nicola Bergonzi
Date1781
Place MadeCremona, Italy, Europe
Serial No.none
SignedPrinted on paper label, the last two digits of year written in black ink: Nicolaus Bergonzi / Cremonenfis faciebat / Anno 1781 [maker's mark: N B with a cross-like symbol inside two circles]
DescriptionThis late Cremonese viola has its original neck, reangled slightly at the heel, and original bassbar. It is well preserved in an early nineteenth century setup, including early bridge. Nicola Bergonzi was the grandson of Carlo, who worked in the Stradivari shop in the 1740s and 50s, following Antonio Stradivari's death.
Top: four-piece, quarter-cut spruce: medium grain with prominent bear-claw figure; top not notched at joint with neck
Back: four-piece, quarter-cut maple: narrow curl descending slightly from center bout; later ebony heel cap on button
Ribs: quarter-cut maple: narrow curl; rib corners chamfered; lower ribs divided by narrow purfling strip
Head and neck: maple: narrow curl; neck slightly reangled
Arching:
Varnish: medium orange-brown
Fingerboard: ebony
Nut: bone
Tailpiece: ebony; saddle carved from face
Tailgut: plain gut
Pegs: four dark red hardwood with concave heads
Saddle: ebony; two-piece; lower piece extends into lower rib with lobed outline
Endpin: black hardwood with open pores; decoratively turned ring
F-holes: channeled lower wings
Linings: light hardwood, possibly willow or poplar
Corner blocks: light hardwood, possibly willow or poplar; gouge marks visible
Top block: spruce; three iron nails through block into neck heel
Bottom block: spruce
Bassbar: spruce; low height; probably original
Other: late 18th or early 19th century bridge made from figured maple, with decoratively cut lower outline and hole below heart; toothed plane marks on inside of ribs
DimensionsTotal viola length: 661 mm
Back length: 410 mm (16-1/8")
Upper bout width: 199 mm
Center bout width: 133 mm
Lower bout width: 243 mm
Upper rib height: 31-33 mm
Center rib height: 31-34 mm
Lower rib height: 32-34 mm
Stop length: 225 mm
Vibrating string length: 370 mm
Neck length (bottom of nut to ribs): 142 mm
ProvenanceGift of Cora Witten, Vero Beach, Florida, in memory of Laurence C. Witten (1926- 1995), 1997.
Published ReferencesDescribed on pp. 270-273 of Count Cozio's notes (1816), transcribed by Bacchetta.
Margaret Downie Banks. "Rare 1781 Bergonzi Viola Given in Memory of Laurence C. Witten (1926-1995)." America's Shrine to Music Museum Newsletter 25, No. 1 (October 1997): 4-5, 8.
André P. Larson. Beethoven & Berlioz, Paris & Vienna: Musical Treasures from the Age of Revolution & Romance 1789-1848. With essay by John Koster. Exhibition catalog, Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, September 12-November 2, 2003. Vermillion: National Music Museum 2003. Page 27.
Arian Sheets, "National Music Museum Showcases Its Wonderful Violas," The Scroll 9 No.1 (Spring 2024), cover, pp. 3, 15-16.
Technical Drawings
Credit LineGift of Cora Witten, 1997, in memory of Laurence C. Witten (1926-1995)
Object number06046
On View
Not on view
