Wood violin and bow from the Sugg McDonald house: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

2014.316.2.1.1: A wood violin with the D and G strings attached to it. The violin’s pegs, neck, and tailpiece are dark wood. The body of the violin is stained lighter. Above the pegs, the violin has a traditional scroll at its top. The violin's tailpiece is decorated with a floral pearl inlay. The D string is possibly made of gut. The G string is made of either aluminum or steel and is wrapped with a fiber. There is a label, in black print, inside F hole, or the proper left sound hole that reads: [Andreas Guarnerius fecit Cremonae sub titulo Sanctae Teresiae 16]. Next to the print [16] there are two additional numbers written in ink that are difficult to read. The violin’s bridge and part of its G peg have become detached and are housed in a plastic bag.

2014.316.2.1.2: A wood violin bow with a pearl inlay. The bow is a long, slightly curved, cylindrical rod. One end of the bow has a curved wooden tip, with a metal edge that attaches the horse hair. The opposite end of the bow has a black wood piece attached to it with decorative floral pearl inlays on both sides. A metal screw cap is at the end of the bow and there are four lines etched into the bow. There is no horse hair attached to the bow.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1700-1900
• Owned by: Vernon Sugg McDonald, American, 1906 - 1982
• Type: bows (chordophone components)
• Type: violins
• Type: musical instruments
• Medium: wood with metal and fiber
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2014.316.2.1.1): 3 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 21 3/4 in. (8.9 × 19.1 × 55.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2014.316.2.1.2): 1 1/4 × 1/2 × 28 3/4 in. (3.2 × 1.3 × 73 cm)
• Place collected: Sugg McDonald House, Sonora, Tuolumne County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Black interiors
• Topic: Music
• Object number: 2014.316.2.1.1-.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Bob and Sherri Brennan in memory of Vernon Sugg McDonald
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.