Mandolin
Orville Gibson is one of the most important makers and innovators of fretted stringed instruments. He is credited with the invention of the archtop guitar and mandolin, which both take construction elements from the violin. This mandolin is a rare surviving instrument by Orville Gibson and features a design consistent with his 1898 patent mandolin drawings. This includes a carved top and back with a floating bridge and tailpiece. The mandolin's sides, neck, and headstock are made from a single piece of walnut that is carved into the final form. The back is also a carved piece of walnut that is convex. The top (soundboard) is made of spruce and also carved into a convex shape and has a large oval soundhole. Another element of the Gibson patent, and present on this instrument, is that the neck is hollow and meant to extend the resonant sound chamber of the instrument.
The instrument is shaped like a teardrop, a design that would later become known as a Model A mandolin. The instrument is covered with a dark finish, which was probably applied in the 1970s when the instrument was sent to the Gibson Company for restoration (at that time the bridge and tailpiece were also replaced). The headstock is Orville Gibson's distinct "paddle-head" and is inlaid with a mother-of-pearl five pointed star and crescent, a motif common on his instruments and that may be a masonic reference. The soundhole is ringed by wood herringbone inlay, below which is an inlaid pickguard featuring a large mother-of-pearl and abalone butterfly. Orville's mandolin design has the Neapolitan disposition of eight strings in four double courses. The ebony fingerboard is glued to the neck and has eighteen metal frets with mother-of-pearl position markers behind the 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, and 15th frets. The tuners and nut are of bone and the bridge is of ebony.
The instrument is shaped like a teardrop, a design that would later become known as a Model A mandolin. The instrument is covered with a dark finish, which was probably applied in the 1970s when the instrument was sent to the Gibson Company for restoration (at that time the bridge and tailpiece were also replaced). The headstock is Orville Gibson's distinct "paddle-head" and is inlaid with a mother-of-pearl five pointed star and crescent, a motif common on his instruments and that may be a masonic reference. The soundhole is ringed by wood herringbone inlay, below which is an inlaid pickguard featuring a large mother-of-pearl and abalone butterfly. Orville's mandolin design has the Neapolitan disposition of eight strings in four double courses. The ebony fingerboard is glued to the neck and has eighteen metal frets with mother-of-pearl position markers behind the 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th, and 15th frets. The tuners and nut are of bone and the bridge is of ebony.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mandolin
- Maker: Orville Gibson (American, 1856–1918)
- Date: 1898
- Geography: Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Walnut, spruce, ebony, pearl, tortoiseshell, bone
- Dimensions: 26 1/4 × 11 × 3 1/4 in. (66.7 × 27.9 × 8.3 cm)
- Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Jonathan & Faye Kellerman Foundation Gift, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.643a, b, c
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Georges Contal
1901
Joseph Collingwood
Herman J. Weckwerth
ca. 1900
Christian Frederick Martin
George Wachsteter
ca. 1838
Thomas Appleton
1830
Christian Frederick Martin
ca. 1837
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.