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Scan 87
An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925
22 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 61. See the scan on archive.org.
1purfling was further removed from the sides than in other violins, and the lines of the ribs were not perpendicular in relation to the back and the sound board, since they had a slope of about a hundred degrees.
3The back was made of a variety of spruce, whose large veins were equally spaced throughout the entire length of the instrument; the arch of the belly corresponded in every respect to that of the back. The F-holes were very clean-cut and their curved upper perforations were separated one from the other by the exact measurement of length of the width of the bridge. They were not very long, and approached each other quite closely at the head.
5The neck was made of very fine plane wood, and the walls of the peg box were extremely thick; the scroll, perfectly rounded, was very large from one to the other button, and this scroll is decidedly one of the greatest beauties of the Cremona violins.
7Finally, a yellow amber varnish was used, which gave them a brownish cherry color, although some of them were a mahogany color. In the case of most of these instruments, the varnish shows splits, since these violins are among the oldest Cremonas known, dating from 1614 to 1620.
9The next in order are the violins of Antonius Amati, in all probability the son of Hieronymus. We have seen only a few of his instruments, some of which are still in Italy, while others may be found in England. There are but slight differences as regards construction between the violins of Antonius and those of Hieronymus Amati; their tone is perfect when they have not been spoiled by ignorant violin repairers.
11Third in order are the violins of Nicolas Amati, and those of Stradivarius, which were built at practically the same period.
13Those of Nicholas Amati are noticeable for their individual pattern, which is smaller than that of the preceding builders; and for their special arching, which, beginning at the purfling, remains somewhat flat at first, only to rise to the height of a full inch above the horizontal line of the sides.
15The rise of this arch may be more easily traced in Nicolas' violins than in the violins of Hieronymus and Antonius Amati. As for the rest, these violins by Nicolas are fashioned with great care; though the purfling is not as well executed as that of the others, and the corners are somewhat more pointed. The sides are most admirably rounded and the F-holes, sufficiently approximated to each other, are perfectly cut. When these violins have not passed through incompetent hands, their tone in no wise yields to that of the violins built by Stradivarius.
17The back is made of spruce wood smaller in grain than that used for the violins already described; yet the wood used in it is very handsome and very well smoothed.
19The varnish used is an oil varnish, reddish yellow in color, though we have seen some instruments which were brown in color.
21Stradivarius violins are the flattest among all the Cremonese instruments,
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