The fiddle
Hercegovina, the 2nd half of the 19th century

wood, leather
turning, cutting, tanning, drilling

 

length = 85,5 cm
length of neck = 51,5 cm
body width = 20,7 cm
length from the first dowel hole to the bottom of the instument = 59 cm

 

Et 2560
The Collection of Musical Instruments

Description

The fiddle is crafted from one block of wood. The body is covered with animal skin and holes are drilled. Two holes are drilled on the upper part of the neck, intended for two pegs and two strings (one peg is missing, as well as both strings). The neck ends in a three-dimensional plastic figure - a human head above which an animal head is carved, most likely a snake head.

Note

The fiddle was a fiddler’s personal artefact. which is why they paid much attention to crafting, decorating, and safekeeping of the fiddle. The three-dimensional figures on top of the neck were often tied to epic legends and characters from oral poems, i.e. legends.