Viola d'amore
by Jean Baptiste Deshayes Salomon
Paris, ca 1740


Viola d'amore Jean Baptiste Deshayes Salomon, Paris, ca 1740
Viola d'amore Jean Baptiste Deshayes Salomon, Paris, ca 1740


Viola d'amore Jean Baptiste Deshayes Salomon, Paris, ca 1740


Viola d'amore Jean Baptiste Deshayes Salomon, Paris, ca 1740 

This viola d’amore by one of the finest Parisian luthiers has seven playing and seven sympathetic strings. These last are accessible to the bow, but simply resonate freely when the upper strings are bowed, yielding a magical, endearing, otherworldly sound, which gave the instrument its name: the love-viola.

Our instrument, which was purchased at Sotheby’s London, is in perfect and impeccable original condition, even with the original peg.

Body length 395 mm
Upper width 194 mm
Middle width 125 mm
Lower width 242 mm
Rib height   53 mm
String length 367 mm


updated 14.10.2007