Viola da Gamba Society of America

Size:

Bass

Label Text:

Place Made:

I, Venice

Maker:

G. Battista

Ciciliano

Date:

15..

Antonio Ciciliano a Venetia [handwritten]

Body Shape:

Viol

Current Location:

CH, Zurich

Sound Holes:

C

Collection:

Museum Bellerive

No. of Strings:

6

Catalog Number:

1963-60, 29

Head:

Scroll

Previous Owner:

Information Source:

TGM visit 7/05; T. Drescher to TGM, 8/01

Literature:

Hopfner 2008, p. 212; Beuting 2007, p. 198; Moens 1995, p. 217

Photographs:

On museum’s website (front [color]; Beuting 2007, p. 198 (front [color]); [by TGM: FB+S, head FB+S, neck heel, tailpiece fastening, label (color)]

Recordings:

Auctions:

Comments:

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Moens 1995: Label similar to Brussels 1424. Perhaps a mixture of old and new parts. (After visit, 1996, thinks it’s a 19th-C. “imitation”.) Drescher (based on visit 8/96): 2-piece table with single line of black purfling, 3-piece back (left piece smaller). Integral, central bass bar; no linings or corner blocks; all joints (including old cracks) covered with paper bearing old rubrics (16C?). Old neck and fingerboard, former fastened with one nail or dowel, latter having three dark stripes inlaid lengthwise and scalloped end echoed by tailpiece. Severe worm damage. Dimensions 60.2, 30.3/23.5/38.4, 12.1,-. TGM adds: “Center” back joint is slightly to left; right side (only) has narrow wings above and below center bout; no purfling; slab cut? Neck quite thick and rounded; pegbox fluted on scroll curve only, now broken diagonally in middle; pegs don’t all match (4+2). Nut has 2 sets of grooves, for 6 or 4 strings; tailpiece has 6 holes; bridge not seen. Tailgut to button emerging from bottom block through table (not rib). No crossbars; soundpost plate only on treble side: not original? Hopfner 2008: dendrochronology by M. Beuting (2007) shows youngest growth ring dated 1447, only slightly later than the 3 Antonio Ciciliano viols in Vienna.