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 32

Scan 32

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

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

1"del Jesù, when it is examined attentively, seems to be a little thicker; but it differs above all in the nuance (hue), which is deeper. We shall see further on, that the pupils of Stradivari commenced, in this respect, to wander from his principles."
3"Carlo Bergonzi, among others of whom we shall soon have occasion to speak, employed a varnish sensibly more heavy, and which has given to certain of his instruments that crusted appearance, much appreciated by amateurs, but which, in reality, is the beginning of decline (commence la décadence). New resins are already employed, and starting from this epoch, that is to say, towards 1750, the methods of the great masters begin to be completely lost. As we have said, the progress of the (varnish) industry makes itself felt; the better will kill the good."
5M. Vidal afterwards speaks of the violoncellos of Carlo Bergonzi: "with their wood so admirably chosen, their red-brown (rouge-brun) varnish a little thick, crackelled, but nevertheless pleasing to the eye."
7He speaks of the varnish of Jean Paul Magini as being "of a light brown yellow (brun jaune clair)."
9After a very long search, a copy of the reprint (1874) of M. Mailand's book was at last secured. I quite concur with M. Vidal in his estimation of it. Although I find myself unable to agree with M. Mailand's reasoning and his conclusions, it is readily admitted that this work stands alone as an honest and praiseworthy attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the old varnishes; an attempt which must have required a large amount of labour and patience.

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