It is an instrument that dates back to the Renaissance--related to the hurdy-gurdy except that you bow it, rather than turn a crank--also called the "Nickelharpe" (not sure about the spelling)--in addition to the played strings, I think that it has a number of sympathetic strings--

There are still a number of Scandinavian players who use it for traditional dance music, and I have heard recordings, but cannot put my hands on names, at this point--it is a wonderful sounding instrument, but most likely, very difficult to manage--