A Rare Early 17th-Century Guitar: A Masterpiece of Marquetry

Published on 19 May 2021, by Claire Papon

Auction on 01 June 2021 - 15:00 (CEST) - Salle 2 - Hôtel Drouot - 75009

This guitar, one of the few to survive from the early 17^th century, is attributed to Jacob Stadler, a German stringed instrument maker who worked in Italy. It will go up for auction soon.

Naples, first half of the 17th century, attributed to Jacob Stadler, round-backed... A Rare Early 17th-Century Guitar: A Masterpiece of Marquetry

Naples, first half of the 17^th century, attributed to Jacob Stadler, round-backed guitar with alternating bone and ebony strips, the back of the neck, fret markers and headstock decorated with ivory and ebony marquetry, contemporary parchment rosette by Elena Dal Cortivo placed in the original mother-of-pearl rosette, l. 93 cm/36.61 in.
Estimate: €50,000/70,000

At Vichy Enchères on May 1, a Paris-made guitar by Alexandre Voboam from the second half of the 17 th century fetched €57,150 , doubling its estimate. The price was right: although the Voboams dominated French-produced guitars and viole da gamba from 1630 to 1720, few of their instruments have come down to us. It is therefore easy to imagine how much excitement this guitar from the first half of the 17th-century might cause. p rofessional musicians, collectors of instruments and objets d’art and European museums will all be in the race, say luthiers Françoise and Daniel Sinier de Ridder, the auction’s experts and consultants. In addition to its rarity, the guitar is perfectly playable, as its table was modified in the 20 th century, though it still has its original number of strings (five…

This article is for subscribers only

You still have 85% left to read.

To discover more, Subscribe