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Scan 226
Old Violins And Their Makers, 1883
6 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 212. See the scan on archive.org.
1it may be called good; and another maker from 1750 to 1780, whose work may be described as excellent, was John Dickeson, a native of Stirling, who dates from London and Cambridge. His model is chiefly Amati. One named Cuthbert made, early in this century, violins of a flat model, which are not devoid of interest. His wood is good and his varnish dark.
3But the maker who, himself an imitator, has been most abused in this country, though his work was not copied so well as he imitated that of other masters, was Richard Duke, dating about 1754. His violins are, in reality, very scarce. His copies of Amati are acknowledged to be very fine, and he also made Stainers. It is rather surprising to find so many imitations of Duke still in the market. They are put forward in the most unblushing manner, though no genuine dealer would, I should imagine, be now guilty of this. They are very common in curiosity and pawnbrokers' shops. I watched the development of one with great interest quite recently. It was an instrument worth about 3s. 6d., and sufficiently dirty to enact the rôle which it was destined to play. I was informed that it realised £10. Richard Duke's labels are of various kinds, manuscript and printed. Sometimes they are in English, and sometimes Latinised. He had a son called Richard, who, it is said, fell into reduced circumstances, and carried instruments about among the trade. Father and son generally stamped the name on the back near the button; at times only the surname, and at other times with "London" below the name.
5The biographer of the Forsters traces their pedigree,
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.