Viola d'Amore

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 viola d'amore is the presence of sympathetic strings, which are not played but located behind the bowed strings and vibrate "in sympathy." The sympathetic strings contribute to produce a tone that is clear, and often described as "silvery." The sympathetic strings also contribute to creating a more resonant sound with a longer decay. Sympathetic strings are found on several European folk instruments, including the Swedish nyckelharpa and the Norwegian hardanger fiddle. They are prevalent on stringed instruments from India, most notably the sitar. The viola d'amore was popular with eighteenth-century composers and can be found in the works of J. S. Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann, Haydn, and Locatelli.

This unusual instrument was probably made in the nineteenth century by taking the body from a French cornerless violin from the early nineteenth century and grafting to it an older neck and pegbox from an older viola d'amore. The instrument has five playing strings and five sympathetic strings and at the end of the pegbox is a blindfolded Cupid. The transformation of the instrument probably took place in the workshop of Leopoldo Franciolini in Florence in the late 19th century as his label appears on the back.