Octobass
Musical instrument/Sculptural object (triple-stringed bowed instrument) • Original design by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1850); likely commissioned reproduction
Style & Movement
Nineteenth-Century Romanticism (Instrument Design) / Industrial Age Experimental Music
Medium & Technique
Hand-carved wood (spruce and maple typically), metal strings, mechanical levers, and varnishing
Creation Period
Modern reproduction or late 20th/early 21st-century construction (based on an 1850 original design)
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 3.48 meters (11.4 feet) tall; vertical/standing format
Subject Description
An oversized bowed string instrument of the viol family, approximately four meters in height. It features three large strings and a complex mechanical system of foot pedals and hand levers used to press the strings against the fingerboard, as the instrument is too tall for manual fingering.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent; well-maintained museum specimen with no visible structural stress or degradation
Estimated Market Value
$100,000 - $250,000 (Valuation based on the extreme rarity and cost of custom lutherie for such a scale)
Auction Estimate
$80,000 - $150,000
Provenance History
Acquired by the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona; commissioned or purchased for public display
Art Historical Significance
Representing the mid-19th century obsession with expanding orchestral range; Berlioz championed the instrument for its 'low and powerful' tones. It serves as a pinnacle of experimental lutherie.
Notable Features
Mechanical levers on the neck; significant scale relative to the human-sized step-platform at its base; signature F-holes and rich golden-brown varnish.
Condition Issues
None visible; minor surface dust and potential humidity-related wood expansion typical of large wooden artifacts
Conservation Recommendations
Strict climate control (stable 45-55% relative humidity), minimal handling, and low-UV LED museum lighting