Books › The varnishes of the Italian violin-makers of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their influence on tone;, 1904 › scan 28
Scan 28
The varnishes of the Italian violin-makers of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their influence on tone;, 1904
12 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1"the markings of the wood with much distinctness."
3"Amati, Nicholas, 1596—1684. The bellies are of a soft, silken nature, and usually of even grain. A few of them are of singular beauty, their grain being of a mottled character, which, within its transparent coat of varnish, flashes light here and there with strange force."
5"Bergonzi, Carlo, 1718—1755. It is sometimes seen to be extremely thick, at other times but sparingly laid on; often of a deep, rich red colour, sometimes of a pale red, and again, of rich amber, so that the variation of colour to be met with in Bergonzi's violins is considerable. We must conclude that his method of varnishing was scarcely so painstaking as that of his fellow-workers, if we may judge from the clots here and there, particularly on the deep-coloured instruments; but, nevertheless, now that age has toned down the varnish, the effect is good."
7"Guarnerius, Andreas, Cremona, 1630—1695. The varnish is much varied, but is generally of a light orange colour of beautiful hue; it sometimes has a considerable body, but when so, lacks the transparency of light-coloured varnishes."
9"Guarnerius, Petrus, Cremona and Mantua, 1690—1728. The varnish is superb. Its quality is of the richest description, and its transparency unsurpassed. Its colour varies; it is sometimes of a golden tint, sometimes of a pale red, on which the light plays with delightful variety."
11"Guarnerius, Joseph Anthony, better known as Giuseppe del Jesu, Cremona, 1683—1745. In some
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