Books › A dictionary of violin makers, 1896 › scan 60
Scan 60
A dictionary of violin makers, 1896
22 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 52. See the scan on archive.org.
1Kiaposse, Sawes. A maker in St. Petersburg about 1748-50.
3Kiesgen, Louis. A maker in Paris, first at 84, boulevard Magenta, and then at 134, rue de Turenne. He has not made many instruments, but those known are of beautiful workmanship; he followed the pattern of Gand and used red varnish.
5Kirschschlag. Was working in the Tyrol in 1780.
7Klein, A. In 1884 he founded an important business in Rouen, at 65, rue Ganterie, under the title of "A. Klein et Cie," reviving the trade in instrument making that had entirely dropped after Jeandel's death in 1879. He placed Antoine Brubach at the head of the workshop, which has now turned out about 200 violins, and numbers of altos and violoncellos; the work is carefully finished and the varnish good, of a brilliant red colour. Label: "A. Klein, luthier à Rouen, 18—. A.K." Awards from Exhibitions: silver medal, Rouen, 1884; diploma of honour, Evreux, 1886; silver medal, Havre, 1887. In 1887 he was made Officer of the Academy.
9Kloss, Ernst. A maker in Breslau.
11Klotz (Kloz), Egidius. Was probably a pupil of Stainer in Absam, returning to Mittenwald, his native place, to work. He was the first member of this family to make violins. He followed the Stainer pattern, using good wood and amber-coloured varnish; his instruments have a fine full tone, are well finished, and are signed with his name.
13Klotz, George, son of Mathias and grandson of Egidius Klotz. Worked in Mittenwald about 1750-70. He also followed the Stainer pattern. His instruments were well made, but the spirit varnish, sometimes yellow, sometimes red, is of bad quality; it is thin and brittle and laid on a coat of size which prevents its penetrating the wood, making it opaque and perishable; the wood is often worm-eaten. In a violin of beautifully finished work with red varnish was the label: "George Klotz propria mea manu feci in Mittenwald, 1753"; another label was "George Klotz in der Mittenwald an der Iser, 1761."
15Klotz, Johann Carl. Worked in Mittenwald about 1740-55. He died young; his instruments are rare and but little known, but are said to be among the best of those made by the Klotz family. In a very well made violin with dark varnish, almost black in colour, is the label: "Joan Carol Klotz in Mittenwald, an. 1750"; a similar label was dated 1753.
17Klotz, Joseph, brother of George Klotz. Was still working in Mittenwald in 1774. Also followed the Stainer pattern. He was careful in his selection of wood and his instruments have a very good tone, but he used varnish of poor quality. Label: "Joseph Klotz in Mittenwald an der Iser, an. 1774."
19Klotz, Mathias, son and pupil of Egidius; b. about 1650. Worked in Mittenwald till about 1735. He is also said to have been a pupil of Stainer, and certainly followed his pattern. He travelled in Italy, visiting Florence and Cremona, before he finally started, about 1683, his great work in Mittenwald. The small town was then in a state of great poverty, but Mathias, taking advantage of the famed pine woods around, in which he found just the material he required, employed numbers of workmen to make cheap violins, which were afterwards hawked round from house to house and sold at extraordinarily low prices. As a rule each workman made one and only one of the required parts of the instrument, other workmen were employed in putting the parts together into one whole. Mittenwald soon rivalled Markneukirchen in Saxony and Mirecourt in the Vosges in this industry, and the fortune of the town was made. The tone of the instruments is not bad, but the yellow-brown varnish is of poor quality and the sound-holes rather small. In a viol, of which the neck and head had been changed so as to turn it into a viola, was the label: "Mathias Klotz Lautenmacher in Mittenwald, anno 17—." In the Paris Conservatoire Collection is a viola d'amore with seven strings and fifteen sympathetic strings, dated Mittenwald, 1732. His three sons, George, Sebastian, and Joseph, were all makers.
21Klotz, Michael and Carl, two brothers, working in Mittenwald about 1770. A great many of the violins with "Stainer" labels are made by members of the Klotz family and their imitators, the "Klotz" labels having been destroyed by the dealers and spurious "Stainer" ones substituted. Probably, also, when these makers had turned out a specially good instrument they used a "Stainer" label instead of their own. Authentic instruments of the Klotz family are consequently not common.
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