Books › the history of the violin, 1864 › scan 284
Scan 284
the history of the violin, 1864
11 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 262. See the scan on archive.org.
1"Barak Norman
2and
3Nathaniel Cross
4at the Bass viol in St.
5Paul's Church Yard.
6London. Fecit 172—."
8John Barrett certainly is of the same school as Nathaniel Cross, whoever may claim to be the originator; but he could not have been a pupil, as some persons suppose, for it will be seen they were contemporaries; he in 1722 carrying on business in Piccadilly, and the other in St. Paul's Church Yard in 172—. The genuine violins that have been seen are of a long and high model, approximating to the Amati pattern, with the Steiner blended in the same. There is a characteristic mark in this maker's violins (for no other description of instruments have been seen), they all have ink lines instead of purflé, and the fluting where the ink lines are and purflé should be is very acute, similar to the work of N. Cross, forming almost the inner half of a circle. A perfect instrument of this maker is in the possession of Mr. C. Ward, of Chapel Street, West, May Fair; the tone of which is very pure and of superior quality, but not powerful. The varnish on this violin when first used must have been a pale yellow colour, but age has mellowed and produced a brown tint. The same defect exists with the body varnish as that used by the maker previously noticed. Copies of printed labels or tickets used by him in the violins are as under:—
10"John Barrett, at the Harp and Crown in Pickadilly, 1722."
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