Books › A dictionary of violin makers › scan 98
Scan 98
A dictionary of violin makers
2 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 88. See the scan on archive.org.
1which still have the original neck; they were the initials of Paolo, his youngest son, a cloth merchant by trade. There is a violin, also made in 1716, in the Istituto Musicale of Florence, with the label: "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis faciebat, anno 1716." A violin, dated 1714, called the "Dolphin," owing to the extraordinary richness and variety of tints in the varnish, is made of splendid wood, and is of perfect workmanship. It formerly belonged to Alard, later passing into the hands of Adams for £800. The prices given for Stradivari violins have risen in a most extraordinary way; Stradivari himself sold them for £4, but by the end of the 18th century they were selling for £15 or £16; a little before 1824 Lupot sold a violin for £100, which was considered a large sum; in 1875 a violin, dated 1714, sold for £300, and, after 1881, fine violins were sold for £1,000 or more—in one case for double that sum. The violin, known, because of its perfect state of preservation, as "The Maiden" (La Pucelle), dated 1709, fetched £885 at a sale in Paris, Feb. 14, 1878; it was of beautiful workmanship, the sound-holes exquisitely cut, and the scroll strong in character. A most perfect specimen of the earlier work of Stradivari was exhibited at South Kensington in 1885; it was made in 1679 and was bought by Sir Samuel Hellier, of Womborne, Staffordshire, for £40 from the maker himself about 1734; it is of large size, and is one of the inlaid violins, of which there are only about twelve in existence. Another inlaid violin is dated 1687 and was originally made for the King of Spain. Another violin dated 1690, which was originally sold for £25, next changed hands for £240, then for £1,000. Violins sold at sales do not, as a rule, fetch such high prices; one was sold at Christie's for £290; that was in 1872, and it is now valued at £1,000. The "Ames" Strad, a beautiful violin, in excellent preservation, was sold at Puttick and Simpson's in 1893 for £860; but this was a record auction-room price. Stradivari only made a few violas, they are of a large pattern, and the quality of their tone is most rich, penetrating, and sympathetic. A very fine viola dated 1723 was in the Janze Collection; one of the most beautiful known—the Viola Medicea dated 1691, is in the Istituto Musicale of Florence; it is of large size, and is interesting as showing that, at the time he made it, Stradivari was not yet experienced enough to make the thickness of the upper plate sufficient in proportion to the size of the instrument. When the viola was recently taken to pieces it was found that Stradivari himself had strengthened (doubled with new wood) the parts originally too much thinned; that only Stradivari himself had touched the work was proved by his inscribing it with the words "Corretto da me Antonio Stradivari." One viola is mentioned as having the back made of poplar; it had a most beautiful tone and showed most delicately finished work. Few of his violoncellos are in existence; they were made on two patterns, one large, one small; the large instruments are now as scarce as the large violas; they have an enormously powerful tone, but it is perhaps more difficult for performers to play on them owing to their size. One of these large violoncellos was in the possession of Professor Servais, of the Brussels Conservatoire; the tone was of silvery sweetness, combined with extraordinary power. A magnificent instrument dated 1720, which belonged to Signor Piatti, the great violoncellist, was known as the "red" 'cello, owing to the very rich colour of its varnish. The immense superiority of Stradivari's violoncellos to all others, owing to the excellent choice of wood, the correctness of the thicknesses, and the accurate proportions of the whole instrument, which results in a tone unequalled for fulness, brilliancy, and power, causes them to fetch extraordinarily high prices, if, by any chance, one comes into the market. The smaller violoncellos are too narrow; in proportion to the length, violoncellos require a greater height in the sides than violins do; Stradivari omitted to take this into account, and thus sometimes made instruments which have a thin quality of tone, which is only to be improved by increasing the height of the sides. A very beautiful specimen of this small pattern formerly belonged to Duport, then to Franchomme, who sold it for £1,600. One of the finest known, formerly belonging to Alexandre Batta, of Paris, who paid £440 for it, was made in 1714, and is in exceptionally good preservation, without a crack, and with no trace of any repairs; it was bought by Messrs. Hill in 1893.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.