Viola da gamba

Description

The viola belonged to Karol Estreicher the Elder and was donated by his widow to the MNK collection in 1909. At that time, the instrument was attributed to Marcin Grobicz, a 17th-century Kraków luthier. Today, it is recognised that the instrument comes from his workshop, the same one from which the musical instruments in the collection of the National Museum in Poznań originate. They are characterised by meticulous craftsmanship and a finial in the form of a winged lion’s head. It is the oldest musical instrument in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków. 

We invite you to explore more about this object in the digital catalogue of the National Museum in Kraków. Data compiled by: Alicja Kilijańska