The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Bulletin
The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Bulletin
The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Bulletin
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Musical<br />
Instruments<br />
1<br />
'<br />
Barak Norman<br />
English, about I670-1740<br />
Viola da Gamba<br />
English (London), I69z<br />
Spruce, maple, and various other woods<br />
Length <strong>of</strong> body, z5 in. (63.5 cm)<br />
Purchase, Clara Mertens Bequest, in memory <strong>of</strong><br />
l~~~ i!'r~~~~~~ ~Andre Mertens, I990<br />
1990.233<br />
Barak Norman is considered the most important English luthier<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Baroque period; he made both plucked and bowed<br />
X instruments, among which his violoncellos and violas da gamba<br />
.(viols) are particularly esteemed for their tonal quality, fine<br />
materials, and <strong>of</strong>ten elaborate decoration. Most <strong>of</strong> Norman's<br />
surviving instruments have been altered during the course <strong>of</strong><br />
centuries <strong>of</strong> use, and it is exceptional to find a bass viol like<br />
ours that preserves its original delicate open scroll, marquetry<br />
fingerboard, and matching tailpiece. Geometric and floral purfling<br />
<strong>of</strong> ligh t d and ark lines enhances spruce the front and<br />
maple back. Marks wear <strong>of</strong> ad d character th to e orange-brown<br />
varnish. <strong>The</strong> interior bears repairers' labels as well as<br />
Norman's handwritten label that gives his shop address, 68 "at the<br />
Bass Viol in St. Paul's Ally, London." This model is called a<br />
division bass viol because it was used chiefly to play divisions,<br />
or elaborate variations on popular tunes.<br />
Norman's earliest recorded viol is dated 169o, and ours, made<br />
in x69z (the same date as a nearly matching one in the Royal<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Music, London), is likewise a youthful product.<br />
Even at this stage his craftsmanship is exquisite, reflecting a<br />
thorough apprenticeship and familiarity with the work <strong>of</strong><br />
another famous London luthier, Richard Meares0, who is represented<br />
in our collection by an equally handsome bass viol <strong>of</strong><br />
the previous decade z.3 ( 98 z4).<br />
LL<br />
Ex coll.: Dennis Nesbitt, London.<br />
Bibliography: Handel: A Celebration <strong>of</strong> His Life and Times, i685-1759<br />
(exhib. cat.), London, National Portrait Gallery, 1985, no. 79; Made<br />
for Music (exhib. cat.), London, Galpin Society, i 986, no. z; Musical<br />
Instruments (sale cat.), Sotheby's, London, June 14, 1990, lot z87<br />
(illus.).<br />
Entries by Laurence Libin, Frederick P. Rose Curator.<br />
52<br />
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