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Hardingfele

Alternate name:Hardanger violin
Alternate name:Hardanger fiddle
Alternate name:Harding fiddle
Alternate name:Hardingfela
Date: 1931
Place Made:Gaupholm, Norway, Europe
Serial No: none
SignedPrinted label, visible through treble sound hole: Lars H. Savill / Gaupholm / 1931 (handwritten in ink)
MarkingsWritten in ink, on the back of the peg head: Solfrid
DescriptionHardanger fiddle with two-piece spruce top, fine grain and one-piece mapleback. The back has a horizontal medium flame. The prominent central arch is accentuated by increased depth of the f-holes, as a result of which the bottom corners are recessed under their inner curves. Scroll carved with a girls face and hair, bound by a ribbon. The fingerboard and tailpiece are inlaid with mother-of-pearl shapes in a floral motif. The edges of the fingerboard and tailpiece are also lined with mother-of pearl inlay in a checked pattern. The peghead and outer edges of the violin are inlaid in mother-of-pearl which alternate with black inked portions in a checked pattern. The front, back, and sides of the instrument are decorated with ink designs of flowers and leaves. 8 pegs, inlaid with mother-of-pearl circles. 9 strings, 5 are sympathetic strings. End button inlaid with a mother-of-pearl dot.
DimensionsOverall length: 63.6 cm
Back length: 36 cm
Width of Upper Bout: 16.8 cm
Width of Center Bout: 10.2 cm
Width of Lower Bout: 20.5 cm
Rib Height: 3.1 cm
Arching Height 6.5 cm
Vibrating Strength Length: 31.2 mm
ProvenanceArne B. Larson Collection, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1979.
Credit Line: Arne B. Larson Collection, 1979
Not on view
Object number: 01269