Technical Research Bulletin

Technical Research Bulletin

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VOLUME 2 2008

Archetype
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VOLUME 2 2008

11/10/2008 13:24:12

A musical instrument fit for a queen:

the metamorphosis of a Medieval citole
Philip Kevin, James Robinson, Susan La Niece,
Caroline Cartwright and Chris Egerton

Summary The British Museums citole (1963,1002.1) is one of Britains earliest extant stringed instruments.
Dating from around 13001330, its survival can be attributed to three factors: the quality of craftsmanship
with its richly carved decorative elements, its association with Elizabeth I of England (15581603) and her
favourite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and its modification to keep pace with changing musical fashion.
The refurbishment of the Medieval galleries at the museum during 20072008 allowed an opportunity to
re-evaluate past treatments of the instrument and investigate its present form scientifically. Throughout its
history the instrument has undergone periodic repair, including the replacement of soundboards, fingerboards, strings and other fittings, but its magnificently carved boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) body, neck and
headpiece remain virtually intact.
Detailed examination of the citole components prior to and during conservation revealed previously
suspected but unseen alterations. Radiography has been used to study features of the original construction
as well as internal alterations which show that it could have been played with a bow. The metal elements have
been identified by X-ray fluorescence analysis, while microscopic analysis enabled the identification of the
wooden components.
Interpreting past restorations and modifications allowed for informed judgements to be made about conservation treatments, while making more accessible important information about the instruments past.

INTRODUCTION
The British Museums citole (1963,1002.1: Figure 1) is an
object of extreme rarity. A virtuoso example of the Medieval
woodcarvers craft, it is one of perhaps only four stringed
instruments of comparable quality to have survived from
the Medieval period. It is, however, a confusing hybrid.
Part citole, part violin, it was described as a gittern by
Francis Galpin in 1910 [1], and the term stuck until 1977
when Laurence Wright extensively revised the terminology
surrounding the gittern and related instruments [2]. It
was described as a gittern (in inverted commas) by Mary
Remnant and Richard Marks when they published their
authoritative work on the instrument in 1980 [3; p. 83].
The inverted commas reflected Remnants reluctance to
accept Wrights recent judgement, which she expressed in
the following way: While Wrights reasons for changing the
terminology certainly carry weight, and have been readily
accepted by a good many organologists, there are others
who feel the need for greater time in which to consider the

matter before changing the long-accepted terminology

[3]. After an extensive period for reflection, the British
Museum co-hosted an informal seminar on the subject with
the New Metropolitan University of London in 2003 and
took the decision to adopt the term citole. The details of
which characteristics precisely define the respective instruments remain subject to a degree of scholarly discussion.
However, the citole is a precursor of the modern guitar and
is characterized by its flat back made from a single piece of
wood, while the gittern is the precursor of the lute and has
a rounded back achieved by the use of several jointed flat
pieces of wood. Although the back of the British Museum
citole is slightly vaulted, it is constructed from only one
piece of boxwood (Buxus sempervirens). Indeed, the head,
neck and the entire body of the citole are carved from one
piece of boxwood; the vaulted back is a design variant rather
than a difference in construction.
Alterations have been made to the citole at several times
in the past, including its conversion into a violin. Among the
changes is the insertion of a silver plate above the pegbox,

13

PHILIP KEVIN, JAMES ROBINSON, SUSAN LA NIECE ET AL.

figure 1. The British Museum citole (1963,1002.1) after recent conservation treatment: length 610 mm, height
147 mm and width 186 mm

engraved with the arms of Elizabeth I (reigned 15581603),

together with those of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
The citole will take a prominent place in the new Medieval gallery due to open in 2009; this has provided an
opportunity to improve the display of the instrument and
during the intervening period permitted both organological study and an assessment of its aesthetic qualities.
To these ends conservators, curators and scientists have reevaluated this unique object, building on previous studies
that revealed significant information about the instrument
and its conversion, as well as highlighting areas that require
further investigation.
The conservation of the British Museum citole allowed
a multi-faceted approach involving arresting further deterioration and preparation for display in tandem with the
scientific investigation of the materials, original methods
of construction and later conversion. X-radiography was
used to clarify the internal structure, particularly the
evidence for alterations. The X-ray films were scanned using
an Agfa RadView digitizer with a 50 m pixel size and a
12-bit resolution, to allow digital enhancement of the
images. To emphasize edges and discontinuities, the images
were subject to greyscale manipulation. Tiny wood samples
(c.1 mm3) for species identification were taken from as
many component parts of the citole as could be sampled
unobtrusively. Their anatomical structure was characterized
by optical microscopy using a Leica Aristomet biological
microscope with a range of magnifications from 50 to
800. The other materials were identified by non-destructive
X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) using a Bruker Artax
XRF spectrometer with a molybdenum target X-ray tube
rated up to 40 W and operated at 50 kV and 800 A.

finer model. Each of the known surviving extant Medieval

stringed instruments has been highly treasured in its day
and by successive generations. All except one, however, has
seen alterations reflecting the changing needs of musicians
or owners. A violeta from the Convent of Corpus Domini
in Bologna dates from the fifteenth century and is preserved
there as one of the precious relics that furnish the shrine
of S. Caterina deVigri. Its relatively obscure location and
sacred context account for its preservation, which has left it
largely intact with little or no alteration [4]. Two fifteenthcentury Italian instruments, a mandora (64.101.1409) at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and a rebec (sam.
inv no. 433) at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna,
bear some comparison with the citole, particularly in their
elaborately carved surfaces decorated with emphatically
secular subject matter and in their handles, which terminate in dragons heads. Neither functions convincingly as a
musical instrument but they have long been valued as works
of art. Both testify to the association between love and music.
The back of the mandora is carved with a courting couple
beneath a tree that contains a figure of cupid; the back of the
rebec is carved with the figure of a naked woman, possibly
Venus. The citoles romantic connotations are firmly fixed
in the later period of its existence when it was converted to
a violin and exchanged as a gift between Elizabeth I and her
favourite, Robert Dudley.
The royal connection is documented in the form of a
silver plate covering the pegbox, engraved with the arms

MEDIEVAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Musical instruments are made to be played; they have
active lives that can see injury, loss or replacement by a

14

figure 2. The tailpiece button, plate and screw

A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FIT FOR A QUEEN

of Elizabeth and Dudley, which was introduced in 1578

when the citole was converted into a violin. The year 1578
is provided by a small silver plate, which carries the initials
I P and the date, Figure 2. The plate is positioned at the back
of the citole, above the trefoil where a threaded screw-fixing
passes through, securing a lion-headed button on the front.
Both were inserted as part of the restringing of the instrument and are essential for keeping the tailpiece in place. The
metal of the engraved plate and the lion-headed button was
identified by XRF as a silver-copper alloy with trace levels
(less than 1%) of lead occurring as an impurity in the silver.
Both are gilded by the mercury (fire-gilding) method, and
both this and the alloy composition are consistent with the
date on the button plate.
The British Museum citole dates from the period around
13001330 and is the earliest of the four survivals. Abundant representations of citoles in the visual arts show that
the instrument was in use from the late twelfth century in
Spain and Italy and from the thirteenth century in northern
Europe. The gradual movement of the instrument from
south to north may well reflect the influence of Islamic
musical instruments on the development of the citole. The
culturally mixed communities of southern Spain and Italy,
which saw dialogue between Christian, Jew and Muslim,
enjoyed a pivotal role in the transmission of ideas during
this period. Knowledge of music, mathematics, science,
medicine, art and literature was promulgated along the same
routes through translated manuscripts, migrant physicians
and exported goods. Spain was undoubtedly important in
establishing an awareness of the citole; it was connected to
the rest of Europe by the vast number of pilgrims who visited
Santiago de Compostela, and through the various dynastic
marriages that saw royal brides moving to and from Spain
with all the diplomatic gifts that attended such transactions.
When Eleanor, the daughter of Henry II, married Alfonso
VII in 1169 it can only be imagined how the international
courtship was conducted, but music, the language of love,
must surely have played its part. By the time that Eleanor of
Castille married Edward I in 1254, the citole was probably
well established in England [5]. A solitary citolist, Janyn le
citoler performed at the ceremony to celebrate the knighting
of Eleanors son, the future Edward II, at Westminster in 1306
[3; p. 89], although the musician probably did not play solo,
as the citole was most frequently used to accompany other
instruments. Revealingly, at the ceremony at Westminster
there were 19 trumpeters and 16 harpists, instrumentalists of
sufficient stature for an event of national importance.
The citole was regarded as a soft or bas instrument and
was most usually played in a domestic or courtly setting [6;
p. 4]. It was designed to be plucked with a plectrum and most
of the depictions show it being played in this way, although
other illustrations show it being strummed without a plectrum. Undoubtedly capable of carrying a tune, as modern
replicas of the British Museum citole have demonstrated,
citoles may have performed a limited repertoire and were
probably used mainly to keep time by playing the same few
notes repeatedly [7]. This understanding is supported by

figure 3. A fourteenth-century Parisian ivory panel (1971,0501.1)

that illustrates a citole/gittern (top left) being played with other instruments: this instrument has been described recently as both a gittern
and a citole; a gittern would normally have a characteristic pear-shape
with a sickle-shaped pegbox

representations of musicians playing citoles, the majority

of which show the players hand coming up from under
the centre of the instrument. This approach would allow
adequate movement only to play the drone chords satisfactorily [3; p. 88]. It is not surprising, therefore, that the
citole is usually depicted with other instruments, principally fiddles, Figure 3.
The gifting of the citole between Elizabeth and Dudley
and its conversion to a violin demonstrate how the instrument was held in high regard some 250 years after it was
made. The value placed on it was not inspired by the expense
of the raw material nor by its virtue as a musical instrument
(the citole was distinctly out of date by about 1400) but by
the extraordinary richness and quality of the carving that
covers its neck and sides.

THE CARVINGS
The fine, dense structure of boxwood (Figure 4) is ideal
for intricate, detailed carving and can be highly polished,
Figure 5. There is no narrative to the design of the carvings,

15

PHILIP KEVIN, JAMES ROBINSON, SUSAN LA NIECE ET AL.

which seem to develop in a gravity-defying, proportiondenying mass that emerges from the mouth of a dragon. In
general the scenes are intimately connected with the dense,
dark forest which was an important feature of Medieval
life. Pastoral scenes such as a swineherd tending to his hogs
(Figure 6) and a woodman at work with his axe are juxtaposed with vigorous hunting scenes (Figure 7) that dominate much of the composition. Each of these topics had
great resonance for a Medieval audience since they signified specific occupations for particular months of the year.
The swineherd knocking down acorns to feed his hogs was
used to illustrate the months of November or December in
the Medieval calendar; the woodman chopping branches
was chosen as an appropriate activity for March; while the
hunt was regarded as a suitable pastime for May, the month
for lovers. The character of the carving contributes enormously to the citoles popular appeal today; careful scrutiny
is rewarded by the discovery of creatures of the forest within
a thicket of mulberry, hawthorn, oak and vine leaves in a
mysterious world occupied by men and hybrid monsters,
Figure 8.
The magnificent carved dragon headpiece can be identified as a wyvern, an ancient variety of the imaginary species
draco (dragon), Figure 9. The wyvern was originally thought
of as a forest-dwelling creature more akin to a snake than
the fire-breathing monster normally envisaged as a typical
dragon. The four-legged dragon of popular renown seems
to have been introduced around 1400 by the English heralds
[8]. A wyvern has two wings and only two legs, and is sometimes depicted in manuscripts, carvings and heraldry with
a knotted tail known as nowed or sometimes nou (from
the French for knotted). A smaller example of the creature

figure 4. Thin section of boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

16

is carved on the side panel of the citole doing battle with a

half-man, half-bird, Figure 10. The green eyes of the creature are leaded glass and each glass eye is set into metal foil
or a cell made of brass (copper-zinc alloy). The orientation
of the wyvern headpiece on the citole is that of a wyvern
regardant (looking back over its shoulder) with its body and
long tail (which trifurcates toward its end) coiling around
beneath the fingerboard and around the neck aperture.
Visible through an openwork panel on the side is a
somewhat worn, golden-coloured material, tinged green
in places. This proved to be a sheet of flax fibre paper with
a coating of gold-coloured brass paint, Figure 11. It is by
no means certain that it is original; the openwork panel
is removable, presumably for the very purpose of accommodating an attractive coloured backing material, which
would not have been difficult to replace at any stage.
There is a detached element of carving from the back
of the neck panel, an owl, also carved from boxwood.
Although its location has been identified, it could not be
secured back in place.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR

RESTORATION
The conservation of historical musical instruments raises
many ethical considerations. To arrest deterioration of
what was once a playing object often requires an interventive approach. Caple states that: restoration can be seen
as covering the scars and damage of the past, and thus
distorting the past by beautifying it, and denying part of

figure 5. A carved gargoyle figure from the back

of the citole

A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FIT FOR A QUEEN

figure 6. Carving of a swine herder and hogs

figure 7. Carving of hunting scene including a man, hound and fox

figure 8. Carving of a hybrid archer and rabbit

17

PHILIP KEVIN, JAMES ROBINSON, SUSAN LA NIECE ET AL.

figure 9. Carved head of the dragon or

wyvern

figure 10. Carving of a hybrid creature battling a wyvern

state of an instrument using craft intervention and

substitution or addition of materials [11; p. 22].

figure 11. Detail of the brass-coloured paint on the paper beneath

the pierced wood panel

the history of the object. Equally, avoiding restoration

leaves every object looking broken or damaged [9; p. 128].
Musical instruments, by their very nature, have continually been repaired and it is often expected that these objects
can be picked up and played even when hundreds of years
old. In reality, the overwhelming majority are of course not
played; continued use would inevitably lead to the wearing
out of parts, and also put many important instruments at
considerable risk. Stringed and bowed instruments, particularly violins, have been described as: almost unique in
the way they have lent themselves to continued use, repair,
restoration and conservation [10; p. 98]. The museum as
custodian offers the instrument a new life, one of display
and interpretation. Barclay identifies three options for care
of instruments namely:
Currency, or maintenance in a working state possibly
with modifications or alterations to sustain functionality. Conservation or preserving the physical integrity of an instrument using minimal intervention and
scientifically based investigation and documentation
methods. Restoration or recreation of a known earlier
18

Barclays approach to the care of instruments further

argues that it is desirable that treatments should, where
possible, encompass combinations of two, if not all three,
of these options.
Watson highlights two approaches to the treatment of
historical musical instruments, describing the two voices
of instruments: the musical voice, its musical quality and
the experience and emotions that it evokes, and the historical voice, by which the instrument reveals its past through
the historical evidence therein [12; p. 15]. The retention or
recreation of the musical voice for the citole was not considered a viable option because of the vulnerable condition
of the instrument and its uniqueness. The need to protect
this historical voice was judged to be of paramount importance. It was, however, felt that with minimal intervention, a balance could be struck between the two voices, by
displaying the citole so it appears in a condition that closely
resembles a playable instrument. This in turn helps to fulfil
an important aim of museums to enhance understanding
and interpretability without compromising historical value.
Watson, although referring specifically to organs, suggests a
need for urgency that applies to all historical musical instruments: that we collaboratively discover ways we can
perform restorations of historically significant organs using
methods that will respect and protect this non-renewable
resource of historical information [12; p. 23].
The conservation of instruments will often require a
restorative approach; likewise restoring an instrument will
require consideration of the conservation impact of the
chosen techniques. Historical significance, the removal of
original material, makers intent and the requirements and
expectations of curator, owner and other stakeholders must
all be taken into account. It is important to consider that
objects change over time and this evolution becomes part
of their significance and character.

A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FIT FOR A QUEEN

CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT
To assist in identifying the features of the citole referred to
in the following sections, an illustrated glossary is provided
in Figure 12. Prior to conservation, a number of past repairs
and replacements were discussed by conservators, curators
and musical instrument specialists and judged to be not in
keeping or historically correct for the instrument and its
context within the new Medieval gallery. The instrument
was dusty, both within the recesses of the carving and below
the bridge and strings. There were greasy marks and fingerprints on the soundboard as well as surface dirt. The citole
had been strung with a mismatched set of gut strings, which
was further confused by the winding of the four strings
onto three pegs (one peg head had snapped and the head
is lost), Figure 13. Pye states: poor condition may mask
significance [13]; failure to remove the mismatched strings
which were not, of course, original and to run each
string to an individual peg, would prevent a correct inter-

pretation of the object. The option of retaining the existing

strings would serve only to highlight a poorly executed past
repair.
The abraded and scratched condition of the varnish layer
on the soundboard was considered unsightly and could be
misconstrued as evidence of lack of care. If the instrument
were in use the varnish might be repaired and, equally, an
item of furniture within a collection or museum might have
this protective finish retouched to aid correct interpretation. The National Trust manual of housekeeping recommends that the finish and appearance of an instrument may
require attention depending on the context in which it is
to be viewed [14]. For the citole this context was as a central
focus within the new gallery.
A length of copper alloy wire twisted at the end secured
the tailpiece in place, Figure 14. This old repair was judged
to utilize a material that was unsuitable for the purpose and
would not have been used on a citole or a violin. Furthermore the sharp ends of the wire were abrading the finish

figure 12. An illustrated glossary of the parts of the citole

figure 13. Detail of the broken peg head before conservation

19

PHILIP KEVIN, JAMES ROBINSON, SUSAN LA NIECE ET AL.

figure 14. Detail of the copper wire tie from the tailpiece to the button
before conservation

below the tailpiece button, so that retaining the wire would

lead to further deterioration.
The broken peg end revealed evidence of a previous repair
in the form of old proteinaceous glue residues around the
break. It is likely that the (now lost) peg head had snapped
at the point where it emerged from the pegbox and was
adhered in position with this glue. End-grain gluing is prone
to failure and once this join failed part of the peg became
lost. For future preservation it is important to spread the
tension of the strings evenly over the bridge, particularly as
the bridge is not fixed but is held in position by the string
tension. To continue to secure strings to three pegs would
put the bridge at risk of misalignment and possible collapse.
However, if the shaft of the existing peg were retained, it
would be necessary to drill into it to dowel or splice on a new
head in order to offer sufficient purchase to take the strain
of the string. These options would involve unnecessary loss
of original material. The alternative removal and replacement with a replica peg would allow tensioning of the fourth
string while improving the appearance of the instrument.
The broken shaft could be archived for future study.
The glued joint or seam between the body and soundboard had begun to open up and fail on both sides and
above the top block near the neck of the instrument, Figure
15. It is important to re-glue failing joints as this restores
the natural integrity of the instrument preventing further
opening up along the seam [14]. This is particularly impor-

figure 15. Detail of the seam between the body and the soundboard showing the opening of
the join

figure 16. X-radiograph through the side of the citole revealing the internal false back (indicated with an arrow), parallel
to the soundboard

20

A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FIT FOR A QUEEN

prevent snagging and subsequent loss. Modern nails had

been used to secure the fingerboard to the neck and were
visible in the X-radiographs, Figure 17. Although these
nails are also evidence of a poorly executed older repair,
their removal would have jeopardized the delicate inlayed
fingerboard. The heads of the nails had been punched below
the surface of the fingerboard and the indentation had been
filled with a wax-like substance that now stood out against
the colour of the wood.
The fingerboard is made from wood from the wayfaring
tree (Viburnum lantana), a tree that was sometimes
coppiced to produce straight wood. The fingerboard is
wedge-shaped, consistent with sixteenth-century stringed
instrument design and construction. Beneath it is another
wedge (Figure 18) made from yew (Taxus baccata) of uncertain date. It is likely that the surface of the original neck
has been planed down in a previous attempt to modify the
citole, resulting in the loss of part of the original carving,

figure 17. X-radiograph through the side of the neck revealing a pin
and two large nails that were used to fix the latest fingerboard. The
features that appear darker in the image are more dense. The four
pegs can be seen end-on behind the dragon, with the broken peg at
the top; the edge of the internal false back is the dark feature seen at
the bottom, right of centre

tant if the instrument is strung. Old animal glue will become

brittle over time and can often deteriorate further due to
microbiological attack in incorrect environmental conditions. Stresses induced by tuning the instrument will also
cause glue lines to open up. These stresses are accentuated
by the differing materials that are chosen for their acoustic
values. For example, the soundboard is made of a softer and
more pliable wood (spruce; Picea abies), which will vibrate
and move under compressive and tensile forces. The option
of complete removal of the soundboard to reveal the alterations during the violin conversion was considered. X-radiographs (Figure 16) showed clearly the internal method of
conversion, with a false back let into the body of the instrument. It was felt to be too risky to remove the soundboard
as the edges were planed or chamfered off to a thin section
where they were joined to the body making them extremely
vulnerable to breaking. Furthermore, there would be inevitable damage to the finish when large areas of sound glue
were softened. The X-radiographs offered sufficient information for the study of the interior and the former state of the
instrument, rendering soundboard removal unnecessary.
A number of small inlaid pieces of wood along the fingerboard had lifted and had accumulated dirt underneath. It
is essential with all inlays that they be securely re-laid to

figure 18. Detail of the additional citole fingerboard wedge

figure 19. Detail of the truncated carving on the neck of the citole

21

PHILIP KEVIN, JAMES ROBINSON, SUSAN LA NIECE ET AL.

which now appears truncated, Figure 19. The pegbox has

been hollowed out and reshaped, changing the original
configuration and removing c.25 mm of the neck length.
All these modifications have been variously interpreted and
constitute a record of this instruments historical evolution.
Preserving this very early, possibly unique evidence intact
is essential for future research.

SUMMARY OF JUSTIFICATION AND EXTENT

OF TREATMENT
The approach to the treatment involved restoring the physical integrity of the instrument, prevention of further deterioration to the finish, and allowing the instrument to be
correctly interpreted. The securing of the soundboard to
the body was required to prevent further opening up of the
joint. A broken peg head was preventing the tensioning of
the strings and so unbalancing the bridge. Movement or
collapse of the bridge would further damage the area of finish
below the bridge feet. It was therefore decided that a fourth
working peg would give an even tension across the bridge,
and that the remaining broken shaft should be archived after
the wood had been identified. The wire attaching the tailpiece to the tailpiece button was also damaging the surface
of the trefoil where it was twisted together; the use of wire
showed a lack of understanding of the correct method of
attaching these components, i.e. with tailgut. The inlay on
the fingerboard was lifting and in danger of becoming lost;
the re-laying of these inlays was also vital to restoring the
physical integrity of the instrument.
Attaching the strings to too few pegs was confusing
and misleading for both visitors and organologists. This
misleading configuration of the instrument raised a further
consideration; that is, should the instrument be seen to be
in a playable condition (although obviously not playable)
to allow a better understanding of the instrument and the
makers intent? This consideration was balanced with the
aesthetic requirement of providing an appropriate level of
care to this important instrument. The modern bridge was
not in keeping with the style of an early instrument and it
was considered a poor replacement. An electrotype dating
from 1869 (discussed later) shows a different equally
historically incorrect bridge, while a photograph of the
citole from 1903 showed that the strings were then no longer
attached and no bridge was present [15]. On balance, it was
felt that making a new replacement in a more suitable form
was appropriate, as it would restore the instrument to an
earlier state and allow a better appreciation of its form.
The top nut of an instrument elevates the strings above
its fingerboard by an amount that allows clear vibration
of the strings without hindrance. The citole fingerboard
is curved convexly along its length, causing undesirable
string contact along the surface. Any instrument in this
state would not be playable because the strings could not
vibrate freely. The unusual visual appearance of strings
22

lying on the fingerboard would confuse many of those who

have some understanding of functioning instruments and
how they should look. Furthermore, allowing the strings to
remain in contact with the fingerboard would exert uneven
forces on the bridge. As discussed above, the bridge must
be held by an even, controlled downward force from the
tensioned strings to avoid potential collapse or movement.
It was therefore considered necessary to raise the nut on
this instrument (to lift the strings off the fingerboard) for
two reasons: to allow the bridge to be held by tension alone
and to enhance the understanding of the citole as a playing
instrument.

TREATMENT
The old gut strings (made from sheep intestine) were
removed and archived. The surfaces of the soundboard,
fingerboard, body and carving were dry cleaned by brushing
with a soft (sable) brush and vacuuming with a low-suction
vacuum cleaner with nylon net filter. Smaller brushes were
required to remove dust from the recesses of the carved
areas. Chemsponge (vulcanised rubber) was used to trap
and further remove surface dirt.
The failing glue seam between the soundboard and
instrument body was investigated. A thin metal spatula was
inserted into the open seam and run along it until it met
with resistance. The gap was held open with metal spatulas
at intervals along the glue line and microcrystalline wax
(Renaissance wax) was applied to protect the finish (varnish)
on the areas above and below the glue line. (Renaissance
wax is used to protect varnished surfaces from moisture
[16, 17] and to act as a final protective layer or polish.) A 5%
solution of Laponite RD (a synthetic colloidal thixotropic
gel-like clay) in water was inserted into the seam on top of
the residual glue and covered with Clingfilm (low-density
polyethylene) to slow down evaporation. After 30 minutes,
the Laponite was removed and the glue surfaces cleaned
with moist cotton wool swabs. Fish glue (gelatine, water and
<1% phenol) was applied to the glue line within the seam
and both soundboard and body were clamped in position.
When partially gelled, the excess glue was removed from
the surface.

Pegs
It was necessary to soften the old glue on the broken peg end
to enable removal. The surrounding area of wood on the
pegbox cheek was coated with Renaissance wax to protect
the finish. Laponite was applied and covered as described
above. After 20 minutes the Laponite had softened and
partially absorbed the animal glue, permitting its easy
removal with a moist cotton wool swab. It is advisable to
remove tight pegs from their peg holes by rotating and
applying a light pulling pressure to prevent damage to the

A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FIT FOR A QUEEN

cheeks of the pegbox. However, as the peg head was missing

a piece of wood of the same diameter was placed against the
narrowest end of the peg and lightly tapped; this freed the
broken shaft from the pegbox. A complete peg was removed
and a mould was taken for a cast to be made with coloured
resin. As the resin proved too brittle to use for the whole
peg, a turned wooden shaft was grafted to the resin replica
peg head to improve its functional strength. The material of
the now-archived broken peg was identified as boxwood.

Bridge
The modern bridge made from maple (Acer platanoides)
was removed and archived and a period design maple bridge
was made and colour matched to the soundboard, Figure
20. The bridge was fitted to the curved soundboard surface
by carefully sculpting and trimming away its feet using a
scalpel, until a good fit with the curvature was achieved.
Many modern luthiers use abrasive papers to fit bridges,
but Weisshaar and Shipman state that a bridge should be
fitted entirely with a knife [18]. The correct height and
curvature of the top edge of the bridge were determined
by fitting the two outside strings temporarily and measuring the heights of the strings above the fingerboard. A
working height was estimated and the bridge was trimmed
and shaped accordingly.

Top nut
Setting up the citole as an ostensibly playable instrument
required the ivory nut to be raised by approximately 2 mm
by means of a balsa wood block of the same dimensions
glued underneath. The ivory nut was then glued into position with cold-setting fish glue, a treatment that is considered to be fully removable. The combination of the raised

figure 20. The new bridge fitted to the citole after conservation

nut and a replacement bridge of correct height lifted the

strings completely clear the fingerboard surface. The only
other option of raising the strings would have been by using
a much higher bridge, but the resulting appearance would
have been strange and outside the normal range of bridge
heights. Adjustment of the top nut was the key factor that
permitted the instrument to appear playable while allowing
it to remain stable when on display.

Tailpiece and fixing

The copper alloy wire tie was cut away to prevent the twisted
ends of the wire from damaging the finish. The tailpiece
button fixing was removed, photographed and replaced after
the application of Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene; PTFE)
tape to the thread to take up slack/play between the screw
thread and the barrel nut end. The tailpiece was removed
and cleaned. It was measured and photographed, as it is
believed that originally the tailpiece terminated in a point,
as illustrated in an eighteenth-century engraving, Figure
21. The tailpiece, if contemporary with the initial conver-

figure 21. Engraving of the citole 1776 (published by Sir J. Hawkins): British Library C.45.f.4-8. Reproduced by permission of
the British Library Board. All rights reserved

23

PHILIP KEVIN, JAMES ROBINSON, SUSAN LA NIECE ET AL.

figure 22. Detail of the tailpiece after conservation

sion, is a very rare example of an early violin tailpiece and

it is interesting to note that it, too, is made from boxwood.
At the bottom edge of the tailpiece (the end tied to the
button) are two grooves that are likely to be vestiges of the
two original holes through which the tailpiece was secured
to the button with the tailgut, Figure 22. At some point in
the instruments past, perhaps because this area of the tailpiece had become weak or damaged, it has either broken
away or was removed. The tailpiece was remounted using
a new natural gut tie in a position suggested by Hawkinss
engraving, Figure 21.

Restringing
Gut strings were used on early violins and a modern replica
set, equivalent in type and thickness to early strings, was
obtained from a specialist string supplier. The strings were
tied to the tailpiece employing a loop-tie method commonly
used with gut strings. The string tension used for set-up was
approximately one third of full tension, which was sufficient to hold the freestanding bridge in position under pressure without placing undue strain on the soundboard and
exerting undesirable forces on the instrument structure as
a whole. No supporting sound post exists; this would sit
below the underside of the soundboard at the bridge foot
position (on the treble side) and reach to the back of the
instrument, in this case the false back. Within the limits of
the evidence available and while following the principles of
sustainable conservation, it might be considered that the
instrument now closely resembles its playing configuration
and overall appearance around the time of Elizabeth I.

INTERPRETING THE MODIFICATIONS

Interpreting the evolution of a musical instrument from its
repairs and modifications is not an exact science. In the case
of the citole, however, there are some features that can assist
this process. First, the instrument was clearly converted
24

from a plucked, guitar-like instrument into a bowed

instrument, a violin. By the time of Elizabeths ascent to the
English throne in 1558 the violin was a fashionable instrument used mainly for dance accompaniment in consort
with other string and wind instruments [19].
The eighteenth-century engraving mentioned above
(Figure 21) clearly shows the low wedge fingerboard, the
pointed tailpiece and the modified headstock. The playing
configuration of the instrument in the engraving is that of
an early violin, fitted with a low bridge and a low wedge
fingerboard. Remnant has pointed out some apparent inaccuracies in the engraving [3; p. 96], and we note in addition
that the engraving has been laterally inverted and that the
fingerboard also appears to be much shorter than in reality.
Inaccuracies and distortions are common in early representations, and caution is needed when drawing conclusions
from such sources.
Exactly when the citole was first converted is uncertain
but in order to accomplish the conversion the flat fingerboard had to be replaced and a new tailpiece added. The
received opinion from an examination made by Charles
Beare and Robert Graham in 1979 was that the present
soundboard made of spruce, which has characteristic
f-shaped sound holes and a vaulted profile, dates from
the mid-eighteenth century [3; p. 105 (endnote 40)]. It
should of course be noted that these informed opinions are
based on experience and knowledge rather than arrived at
through scientific dating. The surface of the neck and part
of the ribs were planed down to make the conversion to a
bowed instrument, as can be seen from the truncated carvings, Figure 19. The original flat citole soundboard may have
been retained in the earliest conversion and only upgraded
to the present, arched violin-type soundboard at some later
date. The planed-down neck surface would only have been
necessary to obtain correct bridge and string height if still
using the original flat soundboard.
Inside the body of the instrument there is a false back
inserted to give the appropriate depth for a violin [3; p. 95].
The false back is housed or let into the neck and upper
bout; it rests just short of the end of the citole body and is
glued at the sides, Figure 16. There is no sound post, but
there is a mark and evidence of glue on the underside of
the soundboard near the foot of the bridge. The presence
of glue here does not reflect a conventional procedure for
fitting a sound post, but is occasionally found. There was
a loose piece of yew that had become dislodged and fallen
through one of the f-holes. Whether or not this is from
the false back cannot be established with certainty. In addition there is a bass bar planted below the underside of the
soundboard as expected in a conventional violin set-up. The
citoles pegs had originally been frontal and wooden plugs
can be seen inserted into the cavities from which the pegs
once protruded below the dragons mouth. The boxwood
pegbox was hollowed out deep enough to accommodate a
set of conventional violin-type tuning pegs and given its
ornate cover plate advertising the royal link.
An X-radiograph (Figure 23) reveals that the tailpiece,

A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FIT FOR A QUEEN

possibly the earliest violin-type tailpiece in existence (extant

early tailpieces are rare because they are lost or replaced
over time), seems to be the result of adapting a pointed
design similar to those depicted frequently in book II of
Syntagma musicum by Michael Praetorius, published in
1619 [20].
The current wedge-shaped fingerboard is constructed
from a wooden core, inlaid with a geometric pattern on
its upper surface, in a way consistent with late-sixteenthcentury stringed instrument-making practice. An additional
wedge that has been fitted beneath the fingerboard seems to
serve two purposes: to obtain both the correct bridge height
and working height of the strings above the fingerboard
surface. In the case of the citole, the material removed from
the surface of the neck during an earlier conversion was,
in effect, replaced by the new wedge along with a further
slim insert to achieve the correct string/bridge height. A
second wedge that has been fitted beneath the fingerboard
seems to serve two purposes. First, it is a means of adjusting
the angle of the fingerboard so that the strings are at the
correct playing height above its surface. The required angle
depends on the bridge height, so the thickness of the wedge
on the citole would have been chosen in conjunction with
any changes to the bridge height. The second function of the
wedge may have been to mimic the modernization of violins
in the late eighteenth century. At that time older, straighter
necks were being replaced with backward canted necks
that allowed greater playing fluency [21]. These changes in
neck angle, coupled with higher bridges and greater string
tension, improved the acoustic response of the instruments.
It is also possible that the alterations to the citole were a direct
result of the fitting of a new arched-top violin soundboard,
which would have required the adjustments discussed.
It is evident from examining the silver pegbox cover plate
that the second wedge was not in place when the cover plate
was originally made and fitted. The arms of the plate were
originally hinged at the sides of the neck at a position that
would only allow the fingerboard to be in place. Hawkins
describes a plate that turns upon a hinge and opens from
the nut downwards [22; p. 342]. Original hinge-pin holes
and the carved-out neck areas accommodating the arms can
be seen in Figure 24. It is suggested that the current cover
plate arrangement, with the hinge-pin set in the pegbox,
was configured after the introduction of the additional
wedge and that this wedge and arched soundboard were
fitted together. The cover plate would presumably have been
reoriented after the engraving was rendered. Since the citole
was reported as having poor sound quality and playability
problems [22; p. 343, 23], these modifications may have also
included the introduction of the inner false back in an effort
to control and improve the sound.
The magnificent carved dragon headpiece has also been
modified. At some point the round neck aperture was
roughly carved out to make it larger and crude tool marks
are evident, Figure 25. This was probably an attempt to give
more hand room for the player, as the original hand-hole of
the citole would only have been large enough to accommo-

figure 23. X-radiograph of the trefoil (see Figure 14). The join to the
central lobe appears as a fine white line in the image (arrowed) and the
dowel of a less dense material (broad pale line) can be seen running
from the central lobe into the body of the trefoil

figure 24. Detail of the position of the cover plate hinge arms before
the additional wedge was fitted

figure 25. Detail showing the cut-away thumb hole

25

PHILIP KEVIN, JAMES ROBINSON, SUSAN LA NIECE ET AL.

date the players thumb with space for some limited hand
movement. This enlargement could date from as late as the
late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, when playing
styles for the violin demanded more movement of the left
hand along the fingerboard. Part of the tail and body of
the wyvern carving may have thereby been lost and it is
possible that the carved tail was originally nowed, as seen
on the small wyvern carved on the side below the proper
left f-hole, Figure 10.
The trefoil has also been altered and reconstructed.
The lobe farthest from the soundboard may have been
broken, although this is unlikely as boxwood is a strong,
dense wood. The lobe may have been worn away, but such
extreme wear is not evident elsewhere on the citole. A more
plausible reason for its alteration is that it was deliberately
rounded over to facilitate a conventional violin playing
position with the instrument at the shoulder or breast; a
flatter trefoil end is illustrated in Hawkinss 1776 engraving.
The trefoil appears complete in an 1874 engraving by Engel
and in an electrotype at the Victoria and Albert Museum
that is referred to by Buehler-McWilliams [6; p. 15]. An
X-radiograph of the trefoil reveals a clear join line around
the whole of the bottom lobe and what appears to be a
dowel-type fixing to hold a new lobe in place, Figure 23.
The replacement lobe is finely carved but there are subtle
differences in the style of the carving that would indicate
it was fashioned by a different hand to the rest of the original carving. It might be, therefore, that a bottom lobe was
partially removed or rounded over in the earlier conversion
and that this truncated lobe was later cut away completely
to allow a well-carved complete replacement lobe to be let
in to the trefoil. Other elements of carving elsewhere on the
citole also lack the fluidity of the original carvers hand and
appear darker, indicating that they could also be replacements by the carver of the trefoil lobe. These include acorns
and leaves in the tree above the swine herder and the head
of the woodman.
Comments from those privileged enough to play the
citole in its adapted state suggest that the experiment failed;
Charles Burney stated that it sounded like a mute violin
(a practice violin), and that the hand is so confined that
nothing can be performed but that which lies within the
reach of the hand in its first position [23]. The density of
the boxwood deadened the sound while the thickness of
the neck and the constraint of the neck aperture rendered
any dextrous manipulation of the strings impossible. That
the new violin could not be played satisfactorily probably
contributed to the subsequent indifference that surrounded
the state of the soundboard and the stringing of the instrument. It should be noted, however, that the soundboard was
made from spruce, a wood commonly selected in violin
making for the soundboard, sound post, and corner/top/
bottom blocks and linings, so it is possible that genuine
efforts were made to render it playable. At some point prior
to its acquisition by the British Museum in 1963, the citole
was given a modern bridge and strung with gut without any
attempt to sustain it as a potentially playable instrument.
26

CONCLUSIONS
Among Remnants concluding remarks in the 1980 study
was the comment: So far we have considered the external
appearance of the instrument; the inside will remain largely
a mystery until there is an opportunity to investigate it [3;
p. 95]. As a result of its imminent redisplay, that opportunity has now arisen. The treatment of the citole has been
prompted partly by aesthetic considerations: the shabby,
deteriorating state of the soundboard; the inappropriateness
of the bridge; the broken peg head; and the visual confusion of the pegs and stringing. The accompanying examination has responded to Remnants desire to see inside the
instrument and has offered long-awaited insights into its
construction. These investigations have not only offered
an insight into how the false back was fitted, but have also
provided an opportunity to re-evaluate the build up below
the fingerboard and make some considered judgements as
to the reasons for this sequence of alterations. In addition,
the original orientation of the citole pegs and the final reconstruction of the trefoil have been verified through X-radiography, shedding light on the stages in their evolution.
The use of X-radiography, coupled with knowledge of
early musical instruments, has allowed the best possible
explanation of the sequence of alterations throughout the
citoles long life to be pieced together. It is clear that the
citole was converted to a violin in c.1578 when a fingerboard, tailpiece and dated tailpiece button plate were fitted.
The frontal plugs and X-radiographs of original peg holes
suggest that the neck of the citole was hollowed out to take
a violin-type pegbox and peg configuration. The original
peg configuration and its subsequent alteration have been
discussed in great detail by Buehler-McWilliams [24]. The
cover plate, hinged from the top nut down towards the
bridge (described by Hawkins), has been reoriented. As can
be seen from the truncated carving, the neck was planed flat
and the wedge-shaped fingerboard fitted to allow a violin
bridge to be set up at a height that would accommodate
bowing of the instrument.
It has been suggested that the additional wedge is a repair
to account for a gap between the fingerboard and the neck
caused by the warping of the fingerboard [6; p. 12]. It seems
more likely that the wedge was inserted to raise the strings
in order to facilitate the fitting of a higher, convex soundboard. The date of this putative second modification is not
known, but must have been after the initial conversion in
1578 and prior to Engels 1874 engraving. It is also evident
from Hawkinss description of the cover plate that, between
1776 and the production of the electrotype in 1869, the
cover plate hinging was reversed. Hawkinss 1776 engraving
also shows a rounded-off trefoil which was reconstructed by
the time the Victoria and Albert Museums electrotype was
made in 1869, as noted by Buehler-McWilliams [6; p. 88].
There are still questions left unanswered; the precise
sequence in which other alterations took place, including
the opening up of the aperture within the neck and the
insertion of the false back, have still to be determined. One

A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FIT FOR A QUEEN

suggestion is that the neck aperture modification is likely

to date from the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century
when playing styles changed, demanding more access to the
fingerboard. The insertion of the false back could have been
carried out with the initial conversion or at the time the
convex soundboard was fitted (or indeed at any time up to
the late eighteenth century). As no method scientific or
otherwise is available to date the soundboard, it cannot be
ascertained whether the existing soundboard is contemporary with the original conversion, or is a later modification
that might explain the additional wedge.
A reassessment of past restoration and modification
allowed more informed judgements to be made about
conservation treatment. Although, after treatment, the
citole now appears in a playable condition, this has not
been achieved without further modifying the citole. The
top nut has been raised, the broken peg replaced, a new
bridge modelled and new strings attached. These alterations have been carried out in consultation with curators,
scientists, organologists, musicians and musical instrument
makers. Unlike some of the earlier modifications and alterations, these changes are completely detachable and can
be removed, should new information come to light or the
aesthetic of future display or conservation demand.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank Kate Buehler-McWilliams for detailed
discussion, Mike Neilson (British Museum facsimile section), Trevor
Springett (British Museum photographer), Pat Cleary (wood turner
and furniture maker), Tony Simpson and Hannah Sherwin for assistance with the images. The authors would like to thank the Royal
College of Art/Victoria and Albert Museum conservation course
for facilitating the contribution of MA student Chris Egerton to this
project.

AUTHORS
Philip Kevin ([email protected]) is a conservator, and
Susan La Niece ([email protected]) and Caroline
Cartwright ([email protected]) are scientists, all
in the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research. James
Robinson ([email protected]) is a curator in the
Department of Prehistory and Europe at the British Museum. Chris
Egerton ([email protected]) is a stringed-instrument conservator in private practice.

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27