Mandolin for sale - Lyre-Mandolin

Lyre Mandolin, Calace, 1899. A highly unusual lyre mandolin in good original condition, dated 1899 and bearing the original signed label: Fratres Calace, Via Quercia 506, Neapoli, Italia. Fecerunt 1899 20005. Spruce top edged with ebony, and ivory; soundhole edged in rosewood and decorated with mother of pearl ornaments; nicely shaped tortoise shell scratch plate; two well-turned ivory knobs on the lyre tips; two hollow yokes with metal struts; bowl back of 28 rosewood ribs; good straight rosewood neck; rosewood fingerboard with 22 good brass frets; rosewood head; metal machine heads with ivory tuners; ebony and ivory bridge; ivory nut; in original leather case in extremely poor condition; total length 61 cm, scale 33.7 cm, body width 24.6 cm, depth 13 cm, nut 2.7 cm. A similar instrument is displayed in the Royal College of London's early musical instrument collection.