Fine and rare Italian chitarrone made in the first half of t...

Hammer

£32,000

Fine and rare Italian chitarrone made in the first half of the 17th century, attributed to Wendelin Venere II (Wendolino Tieffenbrucker, fl Padua 1580-1622) the sound board of fir (Abies), the thirty-six body ribs of yew, inlay and stringing in bone, overall length 169cm, maximum width 34.5cm, sounding lengths 68cm and 148cm

* This instrument is sold with a dendrochronology report from Peter Ratcliff
dating the table to circa 1605. A copy of the report can be made available upon request

**The rosette, with 'double border', as seen on the chitarrone #1563 in the Brussels Museum (Padua 1619) is the same as is the bridge design with branded stars to indicate each course of strings (see R Lundberg - Historical Lute Construction)

Georg Gerle (Innsbruck c.1580) uses a similar rosette design, however without the double border

Michielle Harton (Michael Hartung) uses similar bridge decoration but as E G Barons in his 1727 publication 'Untersuchung des Instruments der Lauten' and also 'The New Grove Dictionary' state, Michael Hartung was in Padua and being taught by Leonardo Tieffenbrucker the Younger, the brother of Wendelin I

There seems to be confusion about family relations and the paternity of Wendelin II. Toffolo states Wendelin Venere I as a possible father, however the RCM catalogue part III: European String Instruments indicates that Christoforo Heberle was the father. Dinko Fabris in his article 'Galileo and Music, A Family Affair' has yet different information

The RCM catalogue also states that the name 'Venere' was a sort of nickname used by several members of the Tieffenbrucker family, and also by Wendelin Heberle (1576-1643) who took over the workshop (Ulrich Wedemeier - Guitar Cittern Lute - A Collection of Historical Instruments)

Attribution of instruments made by Wendelin II is complicated. Several instruments by Leonardo Tieffenbrucker are now attributed to his father Wendeline I. Lutes made prior to 1600 are difficult to identify (see Toffolo 'Construttori di Strumenti a Pizzico' page 97: RCM European Stringed Instruments page 58)