Scan 103
The Violin: Its Famous Makers and their Imitators, 1875
6 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 63. See the scan on archive.org.
1tion of that maker—it lacks the fine finish and exact proportion; but, on the other hand, it has an originality about it which is quite refreshing. The prominent feature is the ear of the scroll, which being made to stand forth in bold relief gives it a broad appearance when looked at from the front.
3The work of Bergonzi, as has been the case with many of his class, has been attributed to others. Many of his instruments are dubbed "Joseph Guarnerius" by the inexperienced; a mistake in identification which arises chiefly from the form of the sound-hole at the upper and lower portions. There is little else that can be considered as bearing any resemblance whatever to the work of Guarnerius, and even in this case the resemblance is very slight. Bergonzi's outline is totally different from that of Guarnerius, and is so distinct and telling that it is sure to impress the eye of the experienced when first seen.
5The varnish of Bergonzi is often fully as resplendent as that of Joseph Guarnerius or Stradiuarius, and shows him to have been initiated in the mysteries of its manufacture. 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 concede that his method of varnishing was scarcely so painstaking as
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