Scan 203
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1875
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1Many of these makers had a fair amount of ideas, which, had they been well directed, might have led to fame. Others contented themselves with copying, without giving any play to their fancy. There was one feature which several of the old French makers were most successful in, that of varnishing. It will be found that many of the instruments by Bocquay, Pierray, and a few others have varnish upon them closely resembling that of the Venetian school; it is full-bodied, very transparent, and rich in colour. Many of their works are covered with a very inferior quality of varnish, which has caused some confusion respecting the merit due to them as varnishers, they being frequently judged by their inferior instruments without reference to the good ones. It is evident that they made two qualities of varnish so as to suit the price they were to obtain, as was commonly done in England by the Forsters, Banks, and Wamsley, where similar confusion exists. The Italians happily avoided this objectionable system. Their works are of one uniform quality in point of varnish. This divergence may possibly be accounted for by the difference of climate. In Italy, oil varnish judiciously used would dry rapidly, whereas in France or England the reverse would be the case; hence its more sparing use.
3We will now glance at the second French school of makers, commencing with De Combre, who may be regarded as the founder of the modern French school. Learning his art in Italy, and, it is said,
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