Art Funded by you

Portrait of a Lady Holding a Hamburger Cithrinchen

Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, 1795

Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, Portrait of a Lady Holding a Hamburger Cithrinchen, c.1795, Royal College of Music Museum of Instruments, Art Funded 2019
Photo credit: Royal College of Music Museum of Instruments

The young woman in this portrait is unknown, but the main point of interest is the instrument she holds.

This is a Hamburger cithrinchen made by Joachim Tielke (1641-1719) in 1676. The exact instrument survives at the Royal College of Music Museum (RCMM), where it is one of the most important items in the collection.

Tielke is renowned for his lavishly decorated stringed instruments, made from precious materials including ebony, ivory and tortoiseshell. He was the inventor of the Hamburger cithrinchen, a stringed instrument that was popular in the latter half of the 17th century. More than 150 of Tielke’s instruments survive, all of which possess unique decorative patterns. This makes it almost certain the instrument in the painting is the same as the one held by the RCMM.

The portrait is believed to be by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, an artist celebrated for his paintings of the German nobility. It now joins the holdings of the RCMM, a renowned collection which includes musical instruments, paintings, sculptures, photographs and manuscripts.

When the museum reopens after major redevelopment, a new display will allow the unique experience of seeing this 18th-century painting alongside the instrument it depicts.

More information

Title of artwork, date

Portrait of a Lady Holding a Hamburger Cithrinchen, 1795

Date supported

2019

Medium and material

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

124 x 99 x 10

Grant

30000

Total cost

68000

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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