(Fr. filet; Ger. Einlage; It. filetto).
A narrow inlay of wood inset in a trough cut just inside the border edge of the belly and back of certain instruments, notably viols and violins (for illustration see Violin, fig.1). This inlay consists of three narrow strips of wood, the middle one being white or yellow and the outer ones being black. The purfling helps to protect the edges of the instrument and serves also as ornamentation. In cheap violins the purfling is sometimes painted on, maintaining the decorative element but reducing the function of the purfling as a strengthening of the edges. Sometimes instrument makers indulged their love for the ornamental by creating a double line of purfling (this is especially characteristic of Maggini violins) or additional inlay in the form of geometric designs. Stradivari (among others) occasionally adorned his violins by inlays of mother-of-pearl as part of the purfling.
DAVID D. BOYDEN