Sketches for the viola organista: head and keys
Red-chalk instrument body with a row of pen-drawn keys
Inverted sketches for Leonardo's 'viola organista'. Drawn in red chalk, a cylindrical drum-like body is labelled as the head of the viola. Above it, a row of small cubes drawn in pen is labelled as the keys of the viola.
On this page
Head of the viola
A red-chalk sketch shows the rounded, drum-like body of the instrument, annotated as the head of the viola. It belongs to the sequence of studies for the bowed keyboard viola organista.
The keys of the viola
A row of small cubes drawn in pen is labelled as the keys of the viola. Fourteen little blocks stand for the keyboard by which the player would engage the strings against the bow.