small 7/7 viola d’amore by J.u. Eberle, Prague 1744, Private collection

With a string length of 33cm and a body length of 34.3cm (thats smaller than the average violin) this instrument could have been intended to be used either with a higher tuning or been made for a small person.

Otherwise, the work and style shown is typical of J.U. Eberle, with a one-piece birds eye maple back, full arching, his typical sound hole shape, and the dark red-brown varnish.

It looks very much like the neck, fingerboard and tailpiece (including wooden post tailpiece attachment) are original, with only the pegs and bridge being newer additions.

Internally, there is a Spruce soundpost plate, spruce blocks and willow linings, which have been let into the top block but are butted up against the other blocks.

There are lateral braces which serve to support the flat back and little wooden cleats glued onto the inside of the rib above the ends of the braces, holding the braces down. These cleats may be original as I have observed very similar looking ones in other Eberle instruments, but it’s also possible that they have been added as a repair.

The instrument does not contain any purfling at all, with just one line of ebony edging around the front edge and the neck is made from plain maple, concluding with a simple but charming scroll.

The fingerboard is made from a soft wood core with an ebony veneer over the sides and top, and the tailpiece is made from hard wood, likely maple, with ebony veneer and with the underside stained black. The end of the fingerboard is shaped with ornate curves, a feature which is typically found on instruments by Eberle and also Thomas Hulinzky.

The gamba style end pin/hook bar tailpiece attachment shows characteristic marks such as the indent seen just below the tailpiece and is shaped in a way typical to Eberle.