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DHV:
757
Tourin ID:
ROM 5

Size:

Bass

Place Made:

Maker:

GB

London

Barak

Norman

Date:

1697

Label Text:

Barak Norman / at the Basse Viol / in St. Pauls Ally / London Fecit / 1697 [handwritten]; BN monogram in center of back

Body Shape:

Viol

Current Location:

CDN

Toronto, ON

No. of Strings:

6

Collection:

Royal Ontario Museum

Sound Holes:

C

Catalog Number:

913.4.30

Head:

Male

Private Owner:

Previous Owner:

R. S. Williams, Toronto, -1913; Edward John Payne, -1904 (?)

Measurements:

Body Length:

62.5

String Length:

65.6

Rib Depth:

11.4

Upper Width:

29.3

Middle Width:

21.6

Bottom Width:

35.035.2

Information

Source:

TGM visit 1/07; PT visit 10/78; Cselenyi 1971, pp. 14-5

Literature:

Hebbert 2001, pp. 293-94 (1697:1); Catch 1997, p. 132; Cselenyi 1971, pp. 14-5; Loan 1885, p. 33

Photographs:

Young 1980, p. 121 (front 3/4, back, detail of TP); Cselenyi 1971, pp. 14-5 (front 3/4, back, head 7/8, detail of FB+TP); [by TGM: FB+S, head FB+S and top, monogram (color)]

Recordings:

Auctions:

Comments:

3-piece table of poor-quality wood; middle piece wider than usual and not centered, with low arching and inked double purfling but no other ornamentation: not original. 2-piece back with double purfling. Very bad worm damage to ribs, though somewhat less on lower bass section which is an early replacement. Elaborately inlaid fingerboard and tailpiece; FB and neck have been narrowed (presumably for use as a cello), then widened (no frets when seen); TP has second row of 4 holes, behind original row of 6, and appears to have been shortened at top. Top block has 2 nail holes and is probably original, also the soundpost plate (which is overlapped by cloth edge linings; about 11 cm top to bottom, with lower edge located about 3 cm below body corner). Hebbert 2001: BL 62.0, WB 35.0; table noted as crude replacement. Back center has BN monogram, upper and lower Type II.

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