Books › The "Tuscan". A short account of a violin by Stradivari, made for Cosimo de Medici, Grand duke of Tuscany, dated 1690, 1891 › scan 27
Scan 27
The "Tuscan". A short account of a violin by Stradivari, made for Cosimo de Medici, Grand duke of Tuscany, dated 1690, 1891
22 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 13. See the scan on archive.org.
1Violin by Stradivari.
3gentleman from Captain Alfred Ker, a great-grandson of the original purchaser, for the sum of £240, and in the summer of 1888 it was bought by the firm of Messrs. Hill & Sons.
5The following details of the construction and dimensions of the violin are of some interest:—
7The back is in one piece, supplemented a little in width, at the lower part, after a common practice of the great makers; and is cut from the handsomest wood that Stradivari possessed. The ribs are of the same wood, while the belly is formed of two pieces of soft wood of rather fine and beautifully even grain.
9The f holes, cut with perfect precision, exhibit much grace and freedom of design. The scroll, though less varied in curve than is often the case with the later violins, is very characteristic and beautifully modelled, and harmonizes admirably with the general modelling of the violin.
11The measurements given below are the same as those of the Dolphin Strad (1714), formerly in the Adam Collection, but now in the possession of R. Bennett, Esq., and described in Mr. Hart's well-known work.
13The only features which characterize this violin as a work of the earlier period are the slightly greater hollowing out of the model round the edges, the exquisite finish of the purfling, and the drooping corners.
15The dimensions are as follows:—
17Length of body – – – 14 inches full.
18Width across the top – – 6 1 1/6 ,, bare.
19Width across the bottom – – 8 1/4 ,,,
20Height of sides (top) – – 1 3/6 ,,,
21Height of sides (bottom) – – 1 7/32 ,,
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.