The philomel has a body with incurvations similar to those of the guitar; therefore, without corner blocks, the outline of the upper lobe forms a wavy shoulder reminiscent of the viols but more ornate and fanciful. The peg-box sometimes terminates in a fancy head instead of a scroll.
The philomel's body has curves similar to a guitar, lacking corner blocks, resulting in an ornate and fanciful upper lobe shoulder that resembles a viol but is more elaborate.  Sometimes the peg box terminates in a decorative head instead of a scroll.