Guitar, late 17th century
Attributed to Giacomo Ertel (German, active in Italy, ca. 1646–1711)
Rome
Wood, various materials; L. 35 11/16 in. (90.7 cm)
Purchase, Rogers Fund, Mrs. Peter Nicholas, University of Chicago Club of New York, Mrs. Henry J. Heinz II, and Lowell S. Smith, and Sally Sanford Gifts, The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, by exchange, and funds from various donors, 1984 (1984.225)
Attributed to Giacomo Ertel (German, active in Italy, ca. 1646–1711)
Rome
Wood, various materials; L. 35 11/16 in. (90.7 cm)
Purchase, Rogers Fund, Mrs. Peter Nicholas, University of Chicago Club of New York, Mrs. Henry J. Heinz II, and Lowell S. Smith, and Sally Sanford Gifts, The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, by exchange, and funds from various donors, 1984 (1984.225)
Checkerboard patterns of bone, ebony, and fruitwood decorate the back, sides, and neck of Ertel's guitar. The peghead, fingerboard, and top have inlaid ornaments of mother-of-pearl. The modern rosette of wood and parchment is a replacement. Formerly converted to six single strings, this instrument was later restored to its five-course configuration. A similar signed instrument is in the Innsbruck Landesmuseum.
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