Lira da braccio

The Ashmolean's lira is one of the few instruments of this kind that survives, and the smallest. It has five strings and two unstopped bourdon strings. The back is of a single piece of maple, the front a single piece of spruce. The lower bouts curve inwards towards the tailpin.The pegbox, ebony fingerboard, and tailpiece appear to be original. The instrument shows little sign of wear, especially o…