German Viola
date: label: Date made
content: 1878 - 1882
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>This viola was made in Schönbach, Germany around 1880. It is made of a two-piece table of spruce, two-piece back of bird’s-eye maple cut on the quarter, ribs of maple with fine figure, neck, pegbox and scroll of maple, and orange-brown varnish.</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>Under the heading “VIOLAS” in his 1882 catalog, page 54, J. Howard Foote continues, “Or <i>Tenor Viols</i>, also called <i>Altos</i> by the French. No. 5995 French Copy of Stradivarius, excellent quality ebony trimmings $10.00 each.” While the Smithsonian accession records indicate item No. 5995, it is possible that this instrument, a cheaper German viola, No. 5994, was substituted in shipment and is the one displayed at the Smithsonian in 1882.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Densmore, Frances. Handbook of the Collection of Musical Instruments in the United States National Museum.
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of J. Howard Foote
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.055686
label: catalog number
content: 55686
label: accession number
content: 11535
objectType: label: Object Name
content: viola
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: spruce (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: maple (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ebony (tail piece; finger board; tuning keys material)
label: Measurements
content: viola: 25 5/16 in x 3 3/8 in; 64.29375 cm x 8.5725 cm