A Provisional List of Extant 16th and Early 17th Century Citterns — supplemental handout by Peter Forrester.

Part of: Wood and Wire — a lecture by Peter Forrester.

See also the other supplemental handouts:

Last updated Sunday, April 02, 2023.
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Originally published in Lute News: The Lute Society Magazine. Reprinted by permission of Peter Forrester and The Lute Society. On-line edition updated with additions (*) and changes (§) by Andrew Hartig per Peter Forrester, July, 2017.

For related content, see A Provisional List of 16th and early 17th Century Builders of Citterns, Orpharions & Bandoras and the Cittern Picture Gallery — Old Instruments.


Italy: Traditional
Augustinus of Urbino, London,V&A 10/1 62.0 originally 13 pegs, diatonic, carved.
"Amati", Museo Bardini, Florence 62.0 diatonic, 6 courses with octaved 3rd, imitates carved.
Anon, Vienna C64 61.7 6 or 7 course, 14 pegs, chromatic, carved.
Franciscus of Urbino (ex Vienna) 61.3 diatonic, carved, ex. Rothschild collection, auctioned London 1999.
Anon, Leipzig 612. 61.2 diatonic, carved.
Anon, Merusaglia, Corsica. approx. 61 .0 diatonic, 8 course, imitates carved, associated. ms. c 1720.
Anon, Vermillion 60.8 chromatic, originally diatonic? carved.
Anon, ex Donaldson collection, missing large, chromatic? illustrated in Hipkins and Gibb.
Plebanus, Paris. 54.5 diatonic, carved.
Anon, Leipzig 613. 54.5 diatonic, carved.
Anon, Vienna C63 53.8 7 course, diatonic, carved.
Anon, private collection (Challen) 49.2 diatonic, carved.
Salvatori, Paris 49.2 chromatic, carved.
Anon, private collection, England. 48.9 illustrated in cat. 'Made for Music' 1986, chromatic, carved.
Piero Paulo, private collection, France 48.2 diatonic, imitates carved, late, drawing by Patrick Delaval in 'Trac' mad', Oct., 1992.
Campi, R.C.M., London 43.0 diatonic, carved.
Anon, Museo Civico, Bologna 42.9 diatonic, carved.
Anon, Rome 42.2? diatonic, carved.
* Rossi, made in Urbino. (Current whereabouts unknown.) 42 diatonic, carved.
Campi, Museo Bardini, Florence 68.0 and 123.0 12 course ceterone, chromatic, imitates carved.
* Anon, Paris E46 62.5 May be a cut down ceterone. Constructed, partially diatonic.
Italy: Brescian.
Virchi, Berlin, missing approx.46.5 cat. Staatlichen Hochschule coil., Sachs 1922.
Virchi?, Oxford 46.2  
Gasparo da Salo, Oxford approx. 45.3 11 pegs, 5 course?
Virchi, Vienna A61 approx.44.5  
"Stradivari"(?) or Virchi(?), Paris 44.4  
Maggini, Vienna C62 44.4  
Virchi, Paris 42.5  
Low Countries.
* Anon, Paris D.32026 54.2 made in France or the Low Countries. diatonic
Anon, Brussels 1524 43.3 diatonic.
Tilman, Berlin approx. 43.5 chromatic,11 pegs, 4 course
Anon, Ketelhaven approx. 43.8 diatonic. Remains of two cittems recovered from a shipwrecked ferry boat at Lelystad.
* Anon, Lisbon Biblioteca Nacional MIC280 - no information
Germany.
Anon, Freiberg Dom 40.7
41.2
42.3
42.6
made for statues of angels, only two are fretted, chromatic.
* c. 1594
* Spring(?), Freiberg Augustinerkirche - made for a statue of an angel. Attributed to Peter Spring, c. 1600. 8 pegs, scroll.
§ Anon, London ,V&A 10/2 approx.38.0 originally diatonic. Redesignated [PF 2017] from Low Countries to Germany. "Probably made in Cologne."
* Michael Bochem, Oxford 45.7 c.1720. diatonic.
* Several more citterns by the Bochem family are extant, in Paris and elsewhere
Spain.
Anon, Belfast 47.0 chromatic, 6 course? only finger board survives from Armada shipwreck.
Uncertain - possibly English?
* Petrus Raitta?, Vermillion approx. 34 chromatic.8 pegs, 4 courses.

How to cite this page: Forrester, Peter. "A Provisional List of Extant 16th and Early 17th Century Citterns." Renovata Cythara: The Renaissance Cittern Site. Ed. Andrew Hartig. 02 April 2023. 10 November 2024. <http://www.cittern.theaterofmusic.com/articles/provisional_list.html>.

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