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Scan 87
Old Violins And Their Makers, 1883
2 lines. Read by computer on 30 September 2026. Printed page 73. See the scan on archive.org.
1connoisseur and fiddle fanatic, who kept it without letting anyone see it until 1854. At the time of his death it was committed to his heirs, and carefully concealed at the Ferme de la Croix, beside the village of Fontanette, near Navarre, in Italy. It was there that its present owner (the late M. Vuillaume) went in search of it in the month of January, 1855. The wood of which it is made is remarkable for the richness of its curl. Perfection of workmanship, beauty of varnish, nothing is wanting. It is a violin which looks as if it had just left the hands of the master; briefly, it is the only instrument of Stradivari which has come down to us in a condition of perfect preservation. Well, this monument of ancient violin manufacture, this instrument which has not sounded under the bow during more than the century and a half which has elapsed since the date of its manufacture, gives a striking denial to that opinion according to which the tone cannot be produced free and pure except after long use, for here, in a new (unused) instrument, all qualities are found united—strength, mellowness, roundness, delicacy, free vibration, noble, incisive, and distinguished tone." It certainly is a marvel of its kind. The scroll is very graceful, differing somewhat in character from that of "The Maid." All its curves and outlines are extremely beautiful, and the f holes of the most perfect form and inclination. Its date is 1716. The entire instrument, like all Stradivari's best work, gives one a sort of indication of the character of the man. One thinks of firmness, precision, as well as of a great deal of delicacy and tenderness, as constituents of his nature.
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