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The violin family, including cello-sized instruments, emerged c. 1500 as family of instruments distinct from the viola da gamba family.The earliest depictions of the violin family, from northern Italy c. 1530, show three sizes of instruments, roughly corresponding to what we now call violins, violas, and cellos.Contrary to a popular misconception, the cello did not evolve from the viola da gamba, but existed alongside it for about two and a half centuries.