Cleveland Museum of Art
Vielle à Roue (Hurdy-Gurdy)
Jacques DecanteLinkedCulture matchlcp-e7f47c7c0903
- Date
- 1865–70
- Medium
- Wood; mother-of-pearl inlay
- Culture
- France
- Department
- Decorative Art and Design
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 399214
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
In France, the hurdy-gurdy is known as the vielle à roue (wheel fiddle). This six-stringed musical instrument produces sound by a hand crank-turned wheel that rubs against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes sound similar to those of a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses small wedges against the strings to change their pitch. This vielle à roue was made in the French village of Jenzat, which was the manufacturing center for hurdy-gurdies during the 19th century.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Gift of Clara Taplin Rankin
- Provenance
- 1954: Clara Taplin Rankin, Paris, France, by purchase | 1954–2020: Clara Taplin Rankin [1917–2025], Chagrin Falls, OH, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 2020–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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