1700 - Cittern Gerolamo de Virchi - XVI century

Table of essence resinous wood with triple purfling ebony and maple, probably Stradivari. Back to six triangular staves of maple with purflings of ebony and maple. Ribs of maple. Movable bridge of maple of recent making (?). Pegbox, neck, upper block and heel in a single piece of maple, carved and inlaid with colored stones and application of silver filigree. Maple fingerboard of the eighteenth century, probably by Stradivari. 12 boxwood pegs, four of which are not original. Varnish perhaps by Stradivari.

  • 1570 c., Brescia
  • Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1700 (apocryphal)
  • 73 cm
  • 35 cm
  • 22,6 cm
  • Parigi (F), Musée de la Musique
  • E.1271
  • Purchased from Henry A. Croué (son in law of Delphin Alard) 1889
  • The instrument was found in Venice and brought to France in 1845. It belonged to J. B. Vuillaume in 1872, to D. Alard in 1878, Vuillaume again between 1878 and 1780, and again in Alard, after the death of the luthier, arriving at A. Croué, the husband of a daughter of Alard.
  • Based on the considerations of Disertori 1937, in 1985 the instrument was re-allocated to the luthier Gerolamo de Virchi of Brescia, recognizing also the Stradivari interventions, which could be detectable in the remaking of the soundboard, of the keyboard, of the bridge and, perhaps, in the complete re-varnishing.
  • Antonio Stradivari, secc. XVII-XVIII
  • Jean Baptiste Vuillaume; Delphin Alard; Jean Baptiste Vuillaume 1878/1880; Delphin Alard, Henry A. Croué
  • 1872, Londra (GB): Special exibition of South Kensington Museum; 1878, Parigi (F): Exposition universelle de Paris 1878. Exposition historique de l'art ancien au Palais du Trocadéro; 1885, Londra (GB): Internationa invention exibition in the Gallery of the Albert Hall; 1937, Cremona (I): Mostra di Liuteria Antica Cremonese; 1985, Parigi (F): La Facture Instrumental Européenne: Suprématie National et Enrichissement Mutuel
  • Dissmore-Reade 1872; AA. VV. 1878; Direction des Musées 1890/93; Disertori 1937; S. a. 1937; AA. VV. 1938; Sacconi 1972; AA.VV. 1985; Dassenno-Ravasio 1990; Gétreau 1996; Echard 2004; Bugini 2003; Bugini 2005
creato:giovedì 8 marzo 2012
modificato:martedì 18 aprile 2017