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Hardingfele

Date1886

Place MadeBergen, Norway, Europe

Serial No.none

SignedOriginal maker’s label visible through bass f-hole: A Helda [label disturbed here,
Indecipherable] / Violinmager / i Bergen 1886 [possibly a 5?]
Typed label visible through treble f-hole; probably not a correct interpretation of maker’s
Label, put in by a repairer (?) when violin was opened: A. HELLAND VIOLINMAGER
/ BERGEN – 1885 NORGE
DescriptionA folk violin with pronounced arching at the nicked f-holes. Highly arched back.
Two-piece belly (off center; traditional construction technique; seam is towards the bass
side).
No purfling on front or back– rather an inked double purfling line around edges.
The outer edge of the instrument is crudely accented with pieces of mother-of-pearl inset
Into the edge, creating a white/black-ink alternation. A design is inked on the center of
the belly, between the tops of the 2 f-holes.
The back is in 2 pieces with a poor repair at the upper end. There is a bass-bar-like
thickening on the inside of the back, ending in a V-shaped “top block” at the neck. There
are very small corner blocks but no linings inside the violin.
The neck, scroll, and fingerboard are not original. The saddle may be original –carved
from the belly. There is no tailpiece nor bridge/strings. There is only one peg. Pegbox
would only hold 4 strings.
DimensionsBack length: 34 cmwidth, upper bout: 15.4 cm
Overall length: 57.8 cmwidth, center bout: 10.7 cm
thickness: 6.3 cmwidth, lower bout: 18.7 cm
thickness of ribs: 3.2 cmfingerboard length, without nut: 23.8 cm
vibrating string length: ca. 30 cm

Credit LineArne B. Larson Estate

Object number04558

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