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Viola d’amore

Maker Nicolo Gagliano

Date1758 ca.

Place MadeNaples, Campania, Italy, Europe

SignedPrinted on paper label, the last two digits of year written in black ink: Nicolaus Gagliano Filius / Alexandri fecit Neap. 175[8] [last number is very damaged, but appears to have rounded strokes in upper and lower sections, suggesting "8"]
DescriptionNicolo Gagliano was one of the most famous members of the prolific Neapolitan family, and this is one of his few surviving violas d'amore. The instrument was bowed, with metal strings running under the fingerboard that vibrated sympathetically, producing a silvery sound. This instrument also has an innovative string attachment in the lower rib, eliminating the need for a tailpiece and allowing the afterlengths of the strings to vibrate as well.

6 melody, 6 sympathetic strings
Top: two-piece, quarter-cut spruce: medium-to-wide grain with bear claw figure
Back: one-piece, quarter-cut maple: prominent, narrow curl
Ribs: quarter-cut maple: prominent, narrow curl; lower ribs divided by removable maple panel bound in ebony covering recessed string holders; three maple pins through upper rips into top block on each side of neck
Head and neck: maple: narrow curl; pegbox terminates in blindfolded head; pegbox edges and head hair painted black
Arching: back arched
Edging: edges bound in ebony
Purfling: none
Varnish: medium orange brown
Fingerboard: ebony; tapered with notch and heel position
Nut: ebony for both melody and sympathetic strings
Tailpiece: none; strings pass into recessed area at end of instrument and are attached to iron wire pins
Pegs: boxwood with undercut heads and integral pins
Saddle: ebony; finished with same varnish as body
Endpin: hole drilled for endpin under recess cover, but none present
Soundholes: flame-shaped soundholes; pierced and layered maple rose under fingerboard
Linings: maple
Corner blocks: spruce
Top block: spruce with grain running parallel to plane of top and back; single large iron nail through top block into neck heel
Bottom block: maple; recess for string holders cut into outside of profile
Bassbar: spruce
DimensionsTotal viola d'amore length: 747 mm
Back length: 371 mm
Upper bout width: 184 mm
Center bout width: 116 mm
Lower bout width: 225 mm
Upper rib height: 45-47 mm
Center rib height: 45-47 mm
Lower rib height: 46-48 mm
Stop length: 284 mm
Vibrating string length: 356 mm
Neck length (bottom of nut to ribs): 165 mm

ProvenanceLaurence Witten acquired from Mosa Havivi, New York, New York,1968.
Purchased by the National Music Museum from Laurence Witten Family, New Haven, Connecticut, 1984.
Published ReferencesAndré P. Larson, The National Music Museum: A Pictorial Souvenir (Vermillion: National Music Museum, 1988), inside front cover & p. 52.

Credit LineWitten-Rawlins Collection, 1984

Object number03380

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