- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Necked box lute known as a Bass lyre guitar.
- Long description
- Necked box lute known as a Bass lyre guitar. The resonator, which rests on a carved rectangular base, imitating the form of the ancient lyre, or kithara, with horns terminating in carved scrolls, but with the addition of a neck in the middle. The depth of the resonator diminishing from the base toward the neck and horns. Flat belly and back, the former with a circular sound-hole filled with a gilt wooden rose, the latter with a smaller elliptical open sound-hole. The fingerboard with ten ivory frets and three ivory nuts, or nut-sections, placed in steps; peg-board widening into a carved head. On the peg-board seven brass pegs, and higher up, on the left-hand side of the head, five additional brass pegs, all the pegs being inserted from behind and to be turned with a key. Five gut and two over-spun silk strings pass from the lower pegs through the seven perforations of an ivory-capped wooden bar, which is placed obliquely on the neck, on to the fingerboard; from the higher pegs five over-spun silk strings are carried over an obliquely placed ivory nut and through brass ears, passing as open strings at the side of the fingerboard; all the strings being attached to a wooden cross-bar affixed to the lower part of the belly. Resonator and head ornamented with painted and gilt designs; the horns gilt and ornamented with beading.
- Geographical reference
- England
- Cultural groups
- European
- Date / Period
- Date made: 1750-1800?, uncertain
- Date collected
- By 1911
- Acquisition information
- Bequeathed: 1939
- Materials and processes
- Material Wood Plant, Material Brass Metal, Material Elephant Tooth Ivory Animal, Material Pigment, Material Animal Gut, Material Silk Yarn Animal, Process Carpentered, Process Decorated, Process Painted, Process Gilded, Process Perforated
- Dimensions
- Width: max 343 mm, Length 851 mm
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1938.34.611
- Research and responses
This object was studied by Hayato Sugimoto, University of Edinburgh, on 14 October 2013. He said that bass lutes are rare. It's inventor was probably Edward Light, a musician, and the maker was probably Barry. Hayato has seen many Apollo lutes and they are usually inscribed Light or Barry, or both. Most of Light's instruments were made by Barry, so the names are found together. The multiple steps at the top of the neck are later in style and typical of Light/Barry. These lutes were only popular in London. They became popular in 1800 and were out of fashion by 1850s. By the 1830s they were in decline. Light and Barry added serial numbers in 1812-1813 to their instruments. The bass lute is easy to play. It was played by ladies. Base strings are added to the side of the main strings. [MJD 14/10/2013]
Search terms: Music, Musical Instrument, Lute