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Guitar

Maker: José Massague (Spanish, Barcelona 1690–1764 Barcelona)

Date: ca. 1755–60
Geography: Barcelona, Spain
Culture: Spanish
Medium: Pine top, figured maple back and sides, rosewood binding, ivory nut,
rosewood, mastic, and mother-of-pearl inlaid decoration
Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
Credit Line: Purchase, Clara Mertens Bequest, in memory of André Mertens, 1990
Accession Number: 1990.220

Not on view

The most distinctive feature of this guitar is the inlaid ‘wave’ on the fingerboard head stock
made of rosewood and accented by small pieces of mother-of-pearl. This motif can be found
on other instruments by Massague including a bandurria at the Musée de la musique in
Paris and another guitar located at the Museu de la música in Barcelona. The instrument has
five double-courses of strings, a configuration that was standard throughout Europe in the
seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, though when this instrument was made
Spanish builders were beginning to adopt a six double-course design. José Massague was a
member of the carpenters guild in Barcelona and in addition to building guitars he built
violins.
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings
Marking: (stamped) MASSAGVE/EN BA[R]CELONA on back of tuning head

References
Written by, Egberto Bermudez, Pepe Rey, Gerardo Arriaga, Cristina Bordas in The Spanish
Guitar: La Guitarra Española. Exhibition catalogue., 1991 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
New York, 1991, pg. 108-110, cat. 3, ill.

"Recent Acquisitions: A Selection 1990-1991." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin

(1991), pg. 53, ill.

Timeline of Art History (2000-present)

Timelines
Iberian Peninsula, 1600–1800 A.D.

MetPublications

"Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, 1990–1991": The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v.

49, no. 2 (Fall, 1991)
 Department
Musical Instruments (5,305)

Artist / Maker / Culture Object Type / Material

José Massague (1) Binding (172)
Spanish (49) Bone (7,154)
Chordophones (1,508)
Guitars (103)
Ivory (5,934)
Lutes (740)
Maple (560)
Musical instruments (5,338)
Pine (940)
Putty (7)
Rosewood (314)
Sealing compound (10)
Softwood (1,287)
Wood (15,463)

Geographic Location Date / Era

Barcelona (188) A.D. 1600–1800 (74,987)
Catalonia (274)
Europe (167,927)
Spain (3,797)

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