Bass Viola da Gamba
Joachim Tielke
Hamburg, 1691
Spruce, ebony, ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, silver
124,5 x 35,0 x 29,0 cm
Inv.-Nr. Mu 39
From the collections of the Electors Palatine in Düsseldorf, transferred from the Royal Collections in 1857
Gallery 89
Joachim Tielke was famous for the lavish decoration and fittings of his musical instruments. They were also much sought after for their timbre, described by a contemporary as 'nicht gar besonders starck, doch gantz delicat and angenehm' [not so terribly carrying but quite delicate and pleasant]. This viola da gamba may have been made for the wedding of Johann Wilhelm, the Elector Palatine, and Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici. Love and music are the dominating themes of the ivory and tortoiseshell intarsia decorating the sounding-board.
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
