Bow & Bridge Violin and bow makers, as the old books printed them

Books › The varnishes of the Italian violin-makers of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their influence on tone;, 1904 › scan 27

Scan 27

The varnishes of the Italian violin-makers of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their influence on tone;, 1904

8 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.

1describes "the Brescian as mostly of a rich brown "colour and soft texture, but not so clear as the "Cremonese. The Cremonese is of various shades, "the early instruments of the school being chiefly "amber-coloured, afterwards deepening into light red "of charming appearance, later still into a rich brown "of the Brescian type, though more transparent." "The Venetian is also of various shades, chiefly light "red, and exceedingly transparent. The Neapolitan "varnish (a generic term including that of Milan and "a few other places) is very clear, and chiefly yellow "in colour, but wanting the dainty softness of the "Cremonese."
3Excluding the Neapolitan, Mr. Hart looks upon the famous varnishes as having a common basis, coloured according to the taste and skill of the individual makers. This is a very natural conception: it forms the preponderating idea which induces his theories as to the origin, evolution and disappearance of the varnishes. As to the notion that "the varnish was "composed of a particular gum quite common in "those days, extensively used for other purposes "besides the varnishing of violins," reference will hereafter be made to it when the same suggestion is expressed in more confident terms by M. Mailand.
5The following remarks on the varnishes of different makers are selected from those which appear in Mr. Hart's book:—
7"Amati, Antonius and Hieronymus, sons of "Andrew, 1570—1635. The varnish on the earlier "specimens is deeper in colour than that found on "the later ones, which have varnish of a beautiful "orange tint, sparingly laid on, and throwing up

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