Trumpet Marine (composite): Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This trumpet marine was made by an unknown maker, provenance unknown, probably 19th century. This is a composite instrument made of a table of spruce, two-piece back of plain fruitwood cut on the slab, grafted hardwood neck is terminated in a hardwood pegbox and closed scroll with three volutes, and opaque brown varnish

The object is composed of unrelated fragments and does not appear to have ever functioned as a musical instrument in this form. The grafted neck bears a crude 18th century cello (or viol?) pegbox fragment and scroll. Acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892.

Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 19th century
• Object Name: trumpet marine (composite instrument)
• Physical Description: spruce (overall material)
• Physical Description: fruitwood (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 8 in x 7 in x 52 1/2 in; 20.32 cm x 17.78 cm x 133.35 cm
• ID Number: MI.095280
• accession number: 26256
• catalog number: 95280
• 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.