Mandolin

Vincentius Vinaccia

ca. 1770 · Spruce, maple, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, ivory · Musical Instruments

Neapolitan style mandolin with eight strings in two double courses tuned to the same pitches as a violin: E, A, D, G. The bowlback is made from twenty-one narrow strips of wood with ebony spacers. The peghead and back of the neck are inlaid with tortoiseshell and accented with ebony and ivory inlay. There are ten metal frets. The sound-board pierced with a circular hole, surrounded by a band of red wax, inlaid with ivory and ebony lines. Flat head, with 8 pegs inserted from behind.

Artist

Vincentius Vinaccia

Date

ca. 1770

Medium

Spruce, maple, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, ivory

Culture

Italian

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

Gift of Joseph W. Drexel, 1889