Violoncello
Alternate name(s)
- Cello
Maker
Chanot & Lete
Date1819-1820
Place MadeParis, France, Europe
ModelChanot
Serial No.129
SignedWritten in black ink on paper label: Chanot . p B. d’inv. 21 Janv. 1818_. / Paris . C . I .D. No. 129___This label is similar to the label in Karl Jalovec’s Encyclopedia of Violin Makers. The letters CiD identify Chanot’s military rank Capitain Ingenieur Deuxième Classe.
Markingsnone
DescriptionTop: two-piece, quarter-cut spruce: wide grain narrowing significantly at the flanks; slight bear-claw figure on lower bouts
Back: two-piece, quarter-cut maple: prominent, very narrow curl ascending slightly from center joint; ebony cap over entire button; button slightly recessed from plane of back
Ribs: quarter-cut maple: medium curl, angled slightly to right on bass side, angled slightly to left on treble side; lower ribs divided by 24-27 mm ebony band, wider at top than bottom
Head and neck: maple: narrow curl; pegbox terminates in front-facing shield, convex along vertical dimension; back of pegbox not fluted; pegbox shoulders with concave outline; back of neck heel made from separate piece of wood
Edging: edges not scooped; edges capped with rounded ebony finished with same varnish as body
Purfling: ebony and ivory; very wide
Varnish: dark red-brown
Fingerboard: ebony; slightly angled at C-string position; possibly later
Nut: two pieces of laminated ebony
String holder: guitar-style ebony, wider at upper end, with raised, carved border, forming saddle at upper end; strings held by ebony pins with ivory eyes
Pegs: four ebony with convex heads and mother-of-pearl eyes; probably original
Saddle: none
Endpin: extendable; pernambuco with brass screw and ring with groove around edge; nickel-plated steel spike
Bridge: Chanot-model by Claire Givens workshop
F-holes: curved, slot-shaped, slightly wider at lower ends; edges lined in ebony and ivory, the inside edge painted light brown
Linings: spruce; wide
Top block: spruce
Bottom block: spruce
Bassbar: narrow; extends over and through ebony string holder, which is cut away between G and C pins to accommodate bassbar on inside of top
Other: diamond-shaped spruce cleats along inside of back center joint
DimensionsTotal violoncello length: 1260 mm
Back length: 763 mm
Upper bout width: 343 mm
Center bout width: 242 mm
Lower bout width: 427 mm
Upper rib height: 120-121 mm
Center rib height: 119-120 mm
Lower rib height: 119-120 mm
Stop length (lowest bridge position): 425 mm
Vibrating string length (highest bridge position): 688 mm
Vibrating string length (lowest bridge position): 717 mm
Neck length (bottom of nut to ribs): 280 mm
Published ReferencesJohn Koster. "Inventive Violin Making . . . Important Acquisitions Enrich Museum's Holdings." America's Shrine to Music Museum Newsletter 28, No. 3 (August 2001): 1-3.
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. Pages 21, 37.
Credit LineBoard of Trustees, 2000
Object number10010
On View
Not on view
