DHV:
900
Tourin ID:
VIENNA 09
Size:
Bass
Place Made:
Maker:
GB
London
Edward
Lewis
Date:
1700 C
Label Text:
[None]
Body Shape:
Viol
Current Location:
GB
London
No. of Strings:
7
Collection:
Private Collection
Sound Holes:
C
Catalog Number:
Head:
Female
Private Owner:
Yes
Previous Owner:
Rothschild family (cat. no. AR 970), on loan to Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. LGR 970), -1999
Measurements:
Body Length:
69.4
String Length:
70.3
Rib Depth:
12.5
Upper Width:
32.2
Middle Width:
23.9
Bottom Width:
39.7
Information
Source:
Owner to TGM, 5/02; Christie’s 7/8/99 (Rothschild auction), lot 7; museum to TGM, 8/96
Literature:
Hebbert 2003b, p. 39 (L6); Montagu 2000, p. 681
Photographs:
Christie’s 7/8/99 (Rothschild auction), lot 7 (F+B [color]); also online at https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1479857 (F [color])
Recordings:
Auctions:
Comments:
Christie’s 1999/07/08
According to Kunsthistorisches Museum, neck and pegbox not original; formerly attributed to Barak Norman. Christie’s photo shows large table ornament, plus small fleurs de lys at corners of both table and back; middle of 3-piece back extensively ornamented, in a manner similar to Paris Lewis; listed as “English, circa 1700, unlabeled,” adding that pegbox (and head?) “probably a replacement.” Pringle considers it to be certainly by Lewis; has additional photos (from J. Vásquez, early 1980s) showing ribs covered with diamond-pattern inlays. Restored in 2000 by John Topham (work included filling worm tracks on table, extending ribs so front and back don’t overhang, and replacing non-original neck, including fingerboard and tailpiece; he believes head and pegbox are probably 17th-C. French. (Montagu 2000: “A good English seven-string bass viol made £43,700.”)