A multi-analytical study on the Mango Longo Guitar, a Baroque masterpiece from the Castello Sforzesco, Milan, Italy

The study of an ancient musical instrument should take into account various approaches, which includehistorical sources, study of materials and dendrochronological analysis. Very often, an ancient musicalinstrument has been subject to repairs, substitutions and restorations that have modified its original set-ting. This study takes into account the "Mango Longo guitar", a masterpiece of 17th century Neapolitanart. It has been analysed from a historical, organological and xylo-chronological perspective to inves-tigate and describe the cultural context of its creation, the wood species used for its construction andvarious restoration works to which it has been subjected. The Mango Longo guitar belongs to the typol-ogy of the Baroque guitars of the seventeenth century, attributed to the lute-maker of German originMagnus Lang, from which the name derives. The most recent tree-ring identified on the instrument bellyis dated dendrochronologically to 1737, terminus post quem. This means that the actual soundboard maybe considered a replacement, due to a restoration in the first half of 18th century. The analysis of den-droprovenance of the actual soundboard shows strong analogies with Italian production of the periodand identifies the probable sources for wood as being in the Alps. Our results confirm the intensive andwell-organized trade of valuable timber used for musical instruments at that time.