L'Entlenbuch Cittern (Swiss Halszither) from the 1850s
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  • Used

L'Entlenbuch Cittern (Swiss Halszither) from the 1850s

2 940 €
Seller : L'instrumenterie ( Individual at Villeurbanne - France)
Item available: only 1 at this price. Act fast!
Seller: L'instrumenterie

Description

The cittern, in the 17th and 18th centuries, was particularly popular in bourgeois and folk circles, especially in Germany.

The construction of "Zistern," as citterns are now called in German, is no longer exclusively reserved for instrument makers organized in guilds. It was in rural regions that carpenters began building the new simplified form as early as the 18th century.

In the pietistic circles of the 18th century, the cittern was often used to accompany spiritual songs. The Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, a Moravian community established in 1722 in Saxony, quickly spread throughout the German-speaking sphere as well as England and the rest of the world from 1732, with missionaries carrying their instruments with them.

As the cittern spread beyond German borders, it underwent modifications and specifications specific to other countries/regions, such as the theorbo cittern, which was found predominantly in northern France, as well as Swiss citterns.

In fact, in Switzerland, three local variants of the cittern emerged in the 19th century: the Emmental cittern, the Toggenburg cittern, and the Entlebuch cittern.

The Entlebuch citterns, still anonymous, can be identified by their craftsmanship as products of a handful of workshops and held regional significance.

Manufactured in the Entlebuch valley, located in the canton of Lucerne, it is also likely that certain instruments, such as this one offered here, were made in the vicinity of Bern. In fact, the cittern being presented here bears the coat of arms of the Republic of Bern as a decal on the heel.

In any case, the distinguishing feature of the Entlebuch cittern is easily recognizable by its aesthetics.

It features a pear-shaped body with wider ends (at the bridge level). Additionally, the head has a specific tuning peg system with metal pegs, similar to those found on harps or zithers. But one of its most distinctive features is the decorative decals depicting floral motifs or genre scenes on the soundboard and sides. The back is generally adorned with a decal covering the entire surface, representing a portrait.

It is said that the Entlebuch cittern was an instrument given to young women as tokens of friendship and love, as various declarations of love are hidden within the decals on these instruments, making them particularly interesting from a popular history standpoint.

Technical specifications:

  • Soundboard: Maple
  • Back: Maple
  • Sides: Maple
  • Neck: Maple
  • Fingerboard: Stained maple
  • Width at nut: 48.5 mm
  • Radius: Flat
  • Frets: 12 frets
  • Scale length: 464 mm
  • Profile: Wide "D"
  • Country of origin: Switzerland
  • Year: 1800's
  • Finish: Natural
  • Decorations: Numerous decals on all parts of the instrument / Column motifs on the heel
  • Details: Repaired cracks and treated woodworm traces / One apocryphal tuning key included with the cittern / Extremely rare instrument

Like all our instruments, this cittern has been carefully restored and is offered for sale in its collector's condition.

An extremely rare instrument, as to this day, only 16 other Entlebuch citterns have been documented in private and public collections combined.

So here we have the 17th Entlebuch cittern, also known as the Entlebuch Halszither, dating from the mid-19th century, emerging from history and presented here for sale, a true museum instrument.

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Product Details
Brand: Anonymous
État : Good condition

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