Facistol de coro. Toledo Cathedral. Probably by Nicolás de Vergara, el mozo (1540-1606).
Toledo Cathedral: Facistol de coro.
instrument: vihuela de arco | century: 16cent/2/mid | catalogue nº: 16-231
Artwork
Creator Vergara el Mozo, Juan Nicolás de
Medium Artwork: Sculpture
Location
City Toledo | Region Castilla-La Mancha | Old kingdom Castile
Characteristics
| Body Waisted | Strings 5 strings | Neck Long | Pegbox Scroll |
| Bridge Fixed | Frets No | Back Vaulted | Pegs None |
| Technique Bowed a braccio |
Commentary
ARTWORK
Probably by Nicolás de Vergara, el mozo (1540-1606).One of two lecterns in the choir (Facistol de coro) of Toledo Cathedral with cast bronze figures of vihuelists. The other (➞16-230) depicts a player of a vihuela de mano. These are the work of Nicolás de Vergara, el mozo (1540-1606).
INSTRUMENT
Unusual shape of waists, with scrolled corners. Otherwise quite similar to 16th-century viol shape. Incurved scroll sides. Scroll pegbox, and scrolls on the ends of the bridge. Played by a minstrel. Catalogued and described in alvarez1982, 1093.
Romanillos commentary is worth quoting here in full: “In the two lecterns by Juan Nicholas de Vargara [sic] in the choir of Toledo Cathedral one can see in the cast figures of both vihuela de mano players that both instruments have vaulted backs as well as cercos - ribs. It could be argued that in those particular lecterns the vaulted backs of the two vihuelas could be the result of the casting methods and that the vaulted back was left bulging, rather than flat in the part of the instruments that was hidden. However, the meticulous work seen throughout the two panels in the lecterns in which several other musical instruments are depicted rules out the possibility that the backs of the two vihuelas de mano were not represented in their true shape.” (romanillos1987, 41)