Soprano viol, Sebastian Mayr, 1728
softwood, l 67.0cm × w 24.0cm × d 19.0cm More details
When the viol family gave way to the violin family, only the bass viol survived into the 18th century. In France the soprano viol enjoyed popularity until late in the 17th century, but elsewhere the smaller viols disappeared. A few survived by being converted, such as this soprano viol, which was used as a viola until the 19th century.
