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Vielle à Roue (Hurdy-Gurdy)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineVielle à Roue (Hurdy-Gurdy), 1865–70. Jacques Decante (French, 1808–1884). Wood; mother-of-pearl inlay. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Clara Taplin Rankin, 2020.422
