Well, I'm thinking it looks like one of a kind. And I'm leaning heavily toward Arnold's assessment. So I'm trying to figure a way from here to there without giving up the "back forty". In the meantime here is the
best general information resource I could find about these instruments and possible contemporary use. I'm pretty sure this is a
G violone, the largest of the violoni family. I was hoping we might get a few players of them to report, but I suppose they are all busy rehearsing.