Viola d'Amore
second half 18th century
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
Body L. 41 cm (16.14 in.); Total L. 76.5 cm (30.12 in.); Bowed String L. 36.7 cm (34.39 in.)
Classification
Chordophone-Lute-bowed-unfretted
Culture
French
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Roth Family Gift, in memory of Norman H. Roth, 1986
Accession Number
1986.118.2
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum Art's collection of musical instruments, the *Viola d'Amore* crafted by Jean-Nicolas Lambert exemplifies the exquisite lutherie of late 18th-century France. Made entirely of wood, this bowed chordophone—classified as a lute-type unfretted instrument—measures 76.5 cm in total length, with a of 41 cm and a bowed string length of .7 cm. Lambert, a skilled Parisian maker, produced this piece during a golden age of string instrument design, when refinements in form and acoustics elevated music-making to an art form. The viola d'amore, beloved by composers like Vi...