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Scan 49
Old Violins And Their Makers, 1883
4 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 35. See the scan on archive.org.
1grain. They are almost always small, the back being frequently in one piece. The varnish is very like that of Maggini, the purfling exceedingly neat, and the corners short but carefully designed, while the margins just overlap the sides. The sound holes are not unlike those of the earlier Stradivaris. The arching is very perceptibly raised towards the centre of the instrument, and the grooves at the sides are of a marked character. The tone is delicate and clear, but not very strong. The violins made by Hieronymus, after separating from his brother, are generally said to be of flatter model than those of the firm. There were several violins by the brothers, exhibited at South Kensington, all of which, if I remember rightly, dated from before 1638.
3Nicolas Amati, the greatest violin maker of this name, was the son of the Hieronymus last mentioned, and, according to Fetis, was born on the 3rd of September, 1596, and died on the 12th of August, 1684. This is the first instance to be met with of exactness in dates, these being taken from the registers of Cremona Cathedral. This writer, from whom, indeed, most other writers derive their information about these early makers, and in many cases without the least acknowledgment, states that Nicolas Amati varied little from the form and proportions adopted by his family, but that he displayed more delicacy in details, and greater perfection in the design of his curves, &c. Ordinary readers might imagine from this that the violins of Nicolas Amati are much the same as those of the rest of the family, and this would be a very misleading supposition. It may be that he refers to very early specimens, for he immediately goes on to speak of one reported to be a marvel in its way, bearing
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