Thank you very much for the informed response.  

The instrument in question is being built from the plans Grant O'Brien 
drew back in the '70s from RCM 175 at the Royal College of Music.

Apparently the instrument went through at least 2 rebuilds during the 
historical period.  It seems to have started out as a C/E - f''' single 
strung, and ended up predictably as a C - d''' double strung.

The soundboard is apparently fir and has but one bar or counterbridge.  
Very light.  

I'm thinking that along with the Neapolitan (or Sicilian) construction 
practice of locating the bottom board up from the bottom edge of the 
bottom edge molding, the single stringing and the light soundboard 
construction aim at a different resonance than the more usual double 
strung 18th century Northern Italian sound ideal.

I think I'm going to build a version that may never have existed, that is, 
a C - d''' single strung in brass.

Since you have built single strung Italians, can you comment?

The case wood in my realization (better word than copy?)is a stunning 
piece of birdseye Maple that has been drying in my shop for nearly 20 
years.  It has not yet been reduced to final thickness.  Even a bit fat, 
it seems like it would conform to the benside curve without heat bending.  
I was planning on using a guitar side bending blanket and electronic 
heater controller. However, I dug out Hubbard last night and he writes 
that in his opinion Italian bentsides were bent cold.

Is this wise?

Lastly (for this post), what is the trick to turning Boxwood brown?  I 
have some 40 year old Turkish Box and it came out of the log yellow in 
color.  

Thanks for the help.

Seth