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Guitar

Attributed to Giacomo (Jacob) Ertel  (German, ca. 1646–1711 Rome)

Date:
late 17th century
Geography:
Rome, Italy
Medium:
Spruce, ebony, fruitwood, bone, ivory, mother-of-pearl
Dimensions:
Total L. 90.7 cm (35 11/16 in.); Body length: 43.3 cm (17 1/16 in.), Greatest width: 24.1 cm (9 1/2 in.) Rib height at neck 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.) at waist 8.8 cm (3 7/16 in.) at bottom 9.4 cm (3 11/16 in.)
Classification:
Chordophone-Lute
Credit Line:
Purchase, Rogers Fund, Mrs. Peter Nicholas, University of Chicago Club of New York, Mrs. Henry J. Heinz II and Lowell S. Smith and Sally Sanford Gifts, The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, by exchange, and funds from various donors, 1984
Accession Number:
1984.225
  • Description

    Checkerboard patterns of bone, ebony, and fruitwood decorate the back, sides, and neck of Ertel's guitar. The peghead, fingerboard, and top have inlaid ornaments of mother-of-pearl. The modern rosette of wood and parchment is a replacement. Formerly converted to six single strings, this instrument was later restored to its five-course configuration. A similar signed instrument is in the Innsbruck Landesmuseum.

  • References

    Dobney Jayson Kerr. "Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (2011), pg. 8-10, ill.

    Kerr Dobney Jayson. Watteau, Music, and Theater. Ed. Katharine Baetjer Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2009, pg. 133-134, fig. 60, ill.

    Kuronen Darcy. Dangerous Curves: The Art Of The Guitar. Museum of Fine Arts. Boston, MA, 2001, pg. 28-30, ill.

    Libin Laurence. "Notable Acquisitions 1984-1985." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (1985), pg. 35, ill.



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    In the Museum
    Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
    MetPublications
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