Prescott Bass Viol or Violoncello: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This Bass Viol or Violoncello was made by Abraham Prescott in Concord, New Hampshire, around 1831-1833. It has a two-piece table of pine; two-piece back of American maple with fine even horizontal figure; ribs of similar maple; moderately figured maple neck, pegbox and scroll with metal tuning mechanism; semi-opaque reddish-brown varnish.

This instrument retains many original features intact, including the neck, black painted finger-board, tailpiece and nut. The ribs are inlaid into channeling on the table and back and the instrument bears a single purfling. It has an original printed label:

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ABRAHAM PRESCOTT MANUFACTURER AND DEALER IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION NEARLY OPPOSITE THE AMERICAN HOTEL CONCORD, N.H.

The original metal tuning mechanism bears the composite brand stamp:

Abraham Prescott (1789-1858) was one of the most prolific of the bass viol makers. A self-taught instrument maker, he began his craft in Deerfield, New Hampshire, in 1809 and moved his business to Concord in 1831, where he continued to make violoncellos, bass viols, and double basses (and later reed organs and pianos) until about 1850. Prescott instruments are often fitted with machine-head tuning gears instead of more usual pegs.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1831-1833
• maker: Prescott, Abraham
• maker: Prescott, Abraham
• Object Name: Viol
• Physical Description: pine (overall material)
• Physical Description: maple (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 51 1/4 in x 18 1/4 in x 8 3/8 in; 130.175 cm x 46.355 cm x 21.2725 cm
• place made: United States: New Hampshire, Concord
• ID Number: MI.75.01
• accession number: 312074
• catalog number: 75.01
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.