Seven String Bass Viol. Culture: French. Dimensions: Height: 51 15/16 in. (132 cm)Width: 16 1/8 in. (41 cm)Depth: 9 13/16 in. (25 cm). Maker: Nicolas Bertrand (1686-1735). Date: 1720.This instrument retains its original neck, which was reshaped when the viol was converted to a cello, probably in the late eighteenth or nineteenth century. Bass viols of French origin feature seven strings, an invention of the French viol player Jean de Sainte-Colombe (fl. 1658-87, died by 1701). Nicolas Bertrand, one of the most celebrated makers of viols, incorporated this feature in his bass viols. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.