viola d'amore

Musical instrument, a member of the viol family, though without frets and not da gamba (‘on the leg’) but played under the chin. More substantial than the modern viola, it has seven bowed strings as well as seven sympathetic strings. It was most popular during the baroque period, but was used occasionally by 19th-century composers, including Giacomo Meyerbeer and Berlioz. It has been revived in the context of the 20th-century authenticity movement.

In the 17th century, viola d'amore referred to a violin with wire strings.