old curiosity shop antiques store
Slavic / Illyrian / Croatian / Serbian Old Vintage Gusle Fiddle Single String Highly Decorated Carved Wood Musical Instrument with Bow.
Gusle’s are believed to be the earliest form of a fiddle and where modern fiddles originate from. We have a beautiful example of one of these early instruments complete with matching bow up for sale.
The Gusle is the national instrument of Montenegro. It is a hand carved wooden instrument native to the Balkans and most common in Croatia, Montenegro and Albania. A gusle is generally carved maple wood and typically has stretched animal hide, strung with horse hair strings and is played with a bow.
What is interesting about this fiddle is that it has a double headed carving on the top of the neck that resemble horses. Most images available of these instruments demonstrate one carving to the top – not two like this one. Also, what is particularly interesting with this Gusle, and makes it exceptionally unusual, is that it has a decorated worked copper metal resonance plate with horses over the main sound body plate. Others that can be searched online have a typical hide skin. The metal work appears to be the original composition and not a replacement as it looks heavily worn and quite naïve. Also, the stylised horses match the carvings on the top. Both the front and back of the fiddle are highly decorated with carved wood patterns. Please view images for detailed images of this wonderful instrument – we have added larger images below for your reference.
We have been advised that it looks to be 19th century in date but we advise you to examine the images and determine the age for yourself as we have never had a piece like this before. If you have any questions, or would like additional images, please contact us as we will be more than happy to help.
This would make an incredible, unusual and thoughtful Christmas gift for anyone interested in vintage instruments, a fiddle player or rustic wooding carving collector. It is a piece of art in itself and would make a lovely display feature in any home.
Measurements:
Overall Length: 74cm / 29in
Width across Horse Carvings at Top: 15cm / 6in
Width of Plate (Widest Point): 21cm / 8 1/4in Additional Information:
Both the wood & metal work is in great condition for age. There are some signs of wear with use but nothing that detracts from the beauty of this instrument. The horsehair has been replaced with a synthetic string and a new string rest has been added - presumably the original was lost or damaged. What is interesting (unlike other similar items available) is that this interesting instrument has its original bow! Please note that the bow does not have a string but am certain it can be easily replaced. We do not believe in tampering with or restoring any of the items we have for sale as we feel that this adds to the charm of our store and allows customers to use their own knowledge. We only purchase items that we find interesting and due to time constraints are limited with the research we can carry out on any one item. We have the type of store that you may very well find a hidden treasure!
We welcome clients that are in search of specific styles, periods, designs or makers as we source new items on a daily basis – please contact us with your enquiry.
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Payment: You can pay securely by credit or debit card on 01577 531179 (UK) free of charge. We also accept paypal, cash on collection or BACS. Please settle your account within 3 days of purchase.
Delivery/ Collection: Once payment has cleared you are welcome to collect by appointment - Call 01577 531179. If you need a courier we can usually arrange this for you. Smaller items will be sent via Royal Mail.
Guarantee: Old Curiosity Shop staff are committed to providing you with the very highest levels of service enabling you to have complete confidence in your purchase. We offer a full refund (excluding return & initial postage costs) on \'buy now\' items cancelled within 7 days of receipt and returned to us in the same condition as it left us. sale items only refunded if they differ significantly from our description. Please contact us if you have any problems as we are always happy to help.
