Books › Catalog of Rare Old Violins, Violas and Violoncellos: Also Bows of Rare Makes, 1916 › scan 13
Scan 13
Catalog of Rare Old Violins, Violas and Violoncellos: Also Bows of Rare Makes, 1916
12 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1RARE OLD VIOLINS
3JOSEPH GUARNERIUS DEL GESU, CREMONA, 1742
5Number 4620. So rare are the really great violin masterpieces that it is not our privilege every year to be able to offer a specimen which, in every respect, stands at the very top of the violin world.
7Through circumstances brought about by war we were able to purchase, from a French collector, the "Wieniawski," date 1742, one of the greatest violins Guarnerius ever made. This instrument belongs to that period of Guarnerius' life when he turned out work which has made his name as great a household term as that of Stradivarius. Violinists, ever since Paganini's time, have sought the instruments of this particular period. Because of their broad pattern and large size, the exquisite wood selection and superb workmanship, they possess power and virility which is unequalled; at the same time, the greatest purity and tenderness form a distinct characteristic of their voice.
9This violin is the greatest in point of tone of any instrument by this maker that has ever come into our possession—of which there have been many. It is primarily a concert artist's instrument; it is especially adapted, on account of its sweet quality of tone and power, to the use of an artist demanding the maximum of power and richness of quality which a violin can give.
11The back is formed by one piece of curly maple, having a broadish figure extending slightly upward from left to right; the top is of spruce of the choicest selection known to this maker; the scroll is in his best style; the varnish, of which there is a plentiful supply, is of a beautiful brownish yellow color. Its remarkable condition is one of its most noteworthy features. It is free from cracks and blemishes, and is in practically a perfect state of preservation. It possesses enormous power on all strings, with an evenness of tone quality throughout the scale which is truly remarkable. It was formerly the property of the great Polish
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