Photo J . Georg Ger/e, Jnn sbruck, ca. 1580. Bridge !englh is 157MM KunslhisiOrisches Museum, Vienna, #A35.

Photo 2. Wendelio Venere, 1592. Bridge /engt/1 is 163MM. Accademia Filarmonica, Bologna, no number. (See also Fig. 1, p. 50.)

Photo 3. Wend elio Venere, 1582. Bridge /englh is 175MM. Kunslhislorisches Museum, Vienna, #C36.

and theorbos, we can find severa) examples of original
ri dges still in place. The first example shown, from the
te signed with the "ragion canante"
In Padua Vvendelio Venere
de Leonardo Tieffenbrucker
1592
- nea rly perfect (Photo 2). As you can see from the
hoto, the bridge is a narrow strip ofwood with
corated ends. lt does not have abone as would be
ou nd on a classical guitar although sorne modern
akers do use one. While the use on a lute of a wider,
i tar-like bridge with abone greatly eases adjustments
- t he action height, it imparts a completely
haracteristic tone quality. Notice that the bridge
pers to the treble both in height and in width (Fig. 1,
_ 0). The ends are carved into a scroll very similar in
orm to the ends of harpsichord bridges of the period.
is bridge appears to be m ade of pearwood and has
en stained black and varnished.
The top of this Venere bridge is marked with stars
ich are branded into the wood on either side of each
course of strings making eight stars, or one more than
there are courses. In addition to those on the top of the
bridge there is one out of place on the treble end ramp
down to the scroll. One must believe that in bis
exuberance for setting stars the !ute maker just got
carried away! These "course markers" are quite useful
in determining the original number of courses when
faced with a bridge that has had its boles plugged and
redrilled. It is not uncommon to see a bridge which
looks original but does not correspond with the pegbox
in the number of strings which it would be possible to
use. In these cases the number of pegs in the pegbox is
usually a better guide to the original disposition than is
the number of boles in the bridge.
Another original bridge from the Venere association
can be found on an instrument dated 1582 (Photo 3).
This instrument is currently strung with five courses in
order to play guitar music so the first and last course
string boles are empty. Apparently also made of
pearwood, it is stained black and varnished. The style of
carving as well as the shape of the course indicator stars
lead one to conclude that this bridge and the previous

49