{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O58885"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O58885/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2011EM5513/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2011EM5513/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2011EM5513","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2011EM5514","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2011EM5515","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2007BL6030","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BD6825","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O58885/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O58885","accessionNumber":"155&A-1882","objectType":"Hardanger fiddle","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"The Hardanger fiddle is a Norwegian variant of the violin, dating from about 1650. It is  strung with eight strings, four of which vibrate while a bow plays the others. This instrument was made in 1872 by K.E.Helland, a member of a famous family of fiddle-makers from Telemark, Norway. Hardanger fiddles are decorated in a vernacular style; the finial of this example is a heraldic lion, with a gilt crown, carved in the Norwegian folk tradition.\r\n\r\nHardanger fiddles are used for folk singing, dances and wedding processions. Edvard Grieg (1842-1907), Norway's greatest composer, incorporated the traditional melodies played on such fiddles into his compositions. The leading player of Grieg's day was probably Torgeir Augundson (1801-1872), a miller's son also from Telemark.","physicalDescription":"Description taken from department files: Hardanger fiddle with a pine belly and maple back with painted floral scrolls in black and edges set with mother-of-pearl alternating with black triangles. Neck set in line with belly. Pegbox with eight pegs, four of which are for wire sympathetic strings. The finial is in the form of a heraldic lion with gilt crown, the carving of the head executed in Norwegian peasant tradition originating in the Viking period. Fingerboard and tailpiece veneered with ebony inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Helland, K. E.","id":"A11688"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"AAT251917"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"ebony","id":"AAT12055"},{"text":"ivory","id":"AAT11857"},{"text":"sycamore","id":"AAT12357"},{"text":"pine","id":"AAT12620"}],"techniques":[{"text":"sawing","id":"AAT53072"},{"text":"planing","id":"AAT53863"},{"text":"purfling","id":"x37774"},{"text":"inlay","id":"AAT53850"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Planed, sawn and purled sycamore back and soundboard; ebony and mother-of-pearl inlaid neck and tailpiece and edging","categories":[{"text":"Musical instruments","id":"THES48919"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"FWK","id":"THES48597"},"images":["2011EM5513","2011EM5514","2011EM5515","2007BL6030","2006BD6825"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES341323"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"004","id":"THES299394"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Hardanger fiddle","id":""}],[{"text":"bow (chordophone component)","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Telemark","id":"x37574"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1872","earliest":"1872-01-01","latest":"1872-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Length","value":"64","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"total","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"35","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"belly","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"4.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"20","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Dimensions taken from Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum, part I, keyboard instruments by Howard Schott. part II, non-keyboard instruments by Anthony Baines.","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Fabrikirt af Knudt Eriksen Helland 1872","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"1872","earliest":"1872-01-01","latest":"1872-12-31"},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"Norwegian","medium":"","method":"","position":"On label inside the body of the violin","script":"Cursive","translation":"Made by Knudt Eriksen Helland, 1872","transliteration":"","type":"1) Makers's mark 2) Signature","note":"1) Makers's mark 2) Signature; Norwegian; Cursive; On label inside the body of the violin; 1872"}],"objectHistory":"This formed part of the collection of Carl Engel (1919 - 1882), a leading  musicologist who published the <i>Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical  Instruments in the South Kensington Museum</i>  (London, 1874). Engel's  collection was bought by the museum in 1882.\nBought from Carl Engel for £3","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Hardanger fiddle, Norwegian, K.E. Helland, 1872","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"London, Victoria & Albert Museum: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria & Albert Museum. Part II, Anthony Baines: <i>Non-keyboard instruments</i> (London, 1998), pp.18 - 19."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"HARDANGER FIDDLE, Norwegian, by K.E.Helland, 1872. Maple back and pine soundboard. The finial is a heraldic lion, with a gilt crown, carved in the Norwegian folk tradition. The instrument has eight tuning pegs, four of which are for wire sympathetic strings.  \r\n \r\nMuseum No.: 155-1882 \r\nNon-Keyboard Catalogue No.: 3/8 \r\n \r\nThe earliest known Hardanger fiddle was made in 1651, with six strings of which only two were sympathetic. By about 1850, these instruments were shaped more like the violin. They accompanied folk dances, songs and wedding processions.","date":{"text":"pre September 2000","earliest":null,"latest":"2000-08-31"}}],"partNumbers":["155-1882","155A-1882"],"accessionNumberNum":"155","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1882,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Hardanger fiddle","bow (chordophone component)"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-06","recordCreationDate":"2001-05-16","availableToBook":true}}