Lute
Medium
Rosewood, ivory, wood, ebony
Dimensions
Height: 23 in. (58.4 cm) Width: 7 in. (17.8 cm) Weight: Under 40 lbs
Classification
Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
Culture
German
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joseph W. Drexel, 1889
Accession Number
89.2.157
About this artwork
This lute was created in 1596 by Sixtus Rauchwolff in Augsburg, Germany, one of Europe's premier centers for instrument making during the Renaissance. Constructed from rosewood, ivory, wood, and ebony, the instrument measures 58.4 centimeters in height and 17.8 centimeters in width. An internal label identifies Rauchwolff as maker and confirms the 1596 date. Rauchwolff enjoyed an excellent reputation among his contemporaries, creating lutes for the prominent Fugger banking family and the court ...