Object Image
Object Image
Object Image
Object Image
Object Image
Object Image
Object Image
1/7
The viola d'amore, or viola "of love," is a bowed stringed instrument which gained great popularity in the eighteenth century. Much of its history, including the derivation of its name, is unknown. It has many characteristics of the viol family such as a flat back, ribs that are flush with the top and back, and a rosette in addition to soundholes. Yet, like a violin, it is unfretted and held under the chin while played. Violas d'amore typically have seven playing strings, though instruments with other numbers of strings are not unusual. Perhaps the most distinguishable characteristic of the eighteenth-century viola d'amore is the presence of sympathetic strings, which are not played but located...
18th century
Spruce, maple, ebony
76.2 x 24.4 x 8.9 cm
2009.41
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023

Where you'll find this

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection