Scan 123
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1875
4 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 77. See the scan on archive.org.
1the family have thus received attention measured by the excellence of the works of their forefathers. That this should be so to a certain extent can scarcely excite surprise, nor is it singular in the Italian branch of the art. The great makers of the Guadagnini family were Lorenzo and Johannes Baptista. The former has been considered the chief maker, but if the merits of each be duly weighed they will be found to be nearly equal. It is probable that Lorenzo has been looked upon as the principal maker from the association of his name with that of Stradiuarius, a fact which it must be granted lends to his name a degree of importance.
3The instruments of Lorenzo are exceedingly bold in design, and differ in this respect from those of Johannes Baptista, which retain much of the delicate form of Stradiuarius. Lorenzo frequently changed the style of his sound-hole, giving it the pointed character of Joseph Guarnerius in some instances, and sometimes retaining the type of sound-hole perfected by his master. The model is inclined to flatness, the declivity being of the gentlest kind: the breadth of the design commands admiration. The scroll is certainly not an imitation of that of Stradiuarius; it has considerable originality, and is more attractive on that account than for its beauty. The varnish is not so brilliant as that of Johannes Baptista, but possesses a mellowness foreign to the other members of the family. The tone is powerful, tempered with a rich quality. The works of
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