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English guittar

ALTERNATE NAME(S)

English guitar
Cittern

Date1760-1780 ca.

Place MadeEngland, Europe

ModelBell S-top shape

Serial No.none

Signednone
Markingsnone
DescriptionThe English guittar was a wire strung instrument popular in the eighteenth century. This instrument dates from the middle of its period of production.

Stringing: five brass double courses
Soundboard: two-piece spruce, medium
Back: two-piece quarter-cut maple with narrow curl descending from center joint
Ribs: four-piece quarter-cut maple with narrow curl
Head and neck: maple; head terminates in square veneered with ebony, ivory, and maple 9-pointed star marquetry
Binding and purfling: black-painted imitation purfling only
Fingerboard: spruce veneered with black-dyed hardwood; undercut, decoratively scalloped fingerboard end; 12 brass bar frets; five capotasto positions
Nut: ebony; later
Bridge: missing
Pegs: six black-dyed hardwood with ivory pins; three missing
Saddle: bone
Endpins: seven ivory; two missing
Rosette: three rings of black-painted imitation purfling, set in from soundhole edge
Varnish: golden with craquelure
Linings: spruce, very narrow; ten spruce braces on inside of ribs, perpendicular to plane of top and back, into which top and back braces are set
Neck block: spruce
End block: spruce; wide; ends roughly tapered
Top braces: five spruce ladder braces, tapered with triangular profile, the one at soundhole position divided into two parts; spruce reinforcement ring around edge of soundhole
Back braces: five spruce back braces, tapered with triangular profile; spruce back graft, divided into sections by back braces
DimensionsTotal guittar length: 722 mm
Back length (not including portion over neck heel): 329 mm
Upper bout width: 90 mm
Waist width (at corners): 178 mm
Lower bout width: 300 mm
Rib height (including edging) at heel: 66 mm
Rib height, at waist: 74 mm
Rib height, at end block: 76 mm
Head and pegbox length: 211 mm
Head width, top: 28 mm
Pegbox width, bottom: 41 mm
Neck length (nut to ribs): 180 mm
Neck width, nut: 42 mm
Neck width, heel: 52 mm
Soundhole diameter: 77 mm
Vibrating string length (nut to bridge): 300 mm
ProvenanceArne B. Larson Estate, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1988.

Credit LineArne B. Larson Estate, 1988

Object number04742

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