Viola d’amore by Jean Baptiste Deshayes Salomon

Paris, ca 1740

 

This viola d’amore by one of the finest Parisian luthiers has seven playing and seven sympathetic strings. These last are accessible to the bow, but simply resonate freely when the upper strings are bowed, yielding a magical, endearing, otherworldly sound, which gave the instrument its name: the love-viola.

Our instrument, which was purchased at Sotheby’s London, is in perfect and impeccable original condition, even with the original peg.

 

 

Body length	395 mm
Upper width	194 mm
Middle width	125 mm
Lower width	242 mm
Rib height	53 mm
String length	367 mm