Bass viol, London, 1677.
I had long overlooked this viol described in the 1960s catalogue as a composite and when it was last on display it languished against a wall so that the back was impossible to see, but despite its drawbacks, it was the best fit for the new hanging of the British Galleries of the Victoria and Albert Museum, with their emphasis on domestic music of the Charles II period. It was therefore a sheer joy to discover that far from being a composite made up of fragments, this (albeit worm-eaten) viol was one of the most intact and original examples in existence. We undertook conservation work to prepare it for display. Rather helpfully, across the road at the Royal College of Music, there is a near twin of this instrument and the comparisons that can be made between them are of great significance for any viol maker looking to understand style through multiple similar examples.
Connoissership at Oxford University.
For the academic world there are deep problems that arise from historic artefacts that are untethered from a record of provenance, and the violin is
