321.321-72 Necked bowl lutes sounded by bowing by a wheel

Mahogany and rosewood, planed, hurdy-gurdy with carved wood and ivory and ebony edging. Six strings. A wooden wheel, roughened with resin and rotated by the crank, activates the six strings. Two strings play the melody while the others sound a continuous drone. Like the musette, the hurdy-gurdy’s rural associations contributed to its aristocratic vogue.
V&A object number: 364-1864.

Like the musette, the hurdy-gurdy’s rural associations contributed to its aristocratic vogue. The vaguely guitar-shaped body and ornamental appearance of this example were some of the refinements introduced in France during the 1720s that helped it become a popular salon and chamber music instrument. The carved female finial figure wears a Turkish head-dress.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
L2013.37.17
Date
c.1750
PLACE
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 450 mm x 615 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
wood; mahogany; rosewood; ivory; ebony; mother of pearl; mother of pearl
CATEGORY
Exhibitions Loans
LOCATION
Music Gallery > Side A - At Home With Music > Case A3 - French Suite
SHAREABLE LINK

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database sometimes uses language taken from historical documents to help research, which may now appear outdated and even offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections or can suggest corrections to our information, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk