Scan 138
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1884
6 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 84. See the scan on archive.org.
1combines extreme elegance with utility; and, simple as the result may appear, the successful construction of so graceful a whole must have been attended with rare ingenuity and persevering labour.
3Here, again, is evidence of the master mind, never resting, ever seeking to improve; evidence, too, that mere elaboration of work was not the sole aim of the Cremonese makers. They designed and created as they worked; and their success, which no succeeding age has aspired to rival, entitles them to rank with the chief artists of the world.
5On the form of the instrument known as the "grand Amati," Stradivari exerted all the power of his early years; and the fruits of his labours are, in point of finish, unsurpassed by any of his later works. Where Niccolò Amati failed, Stradivari conquered; and particularly is this victory to be seen in the scrolls of his instruments during the first period, which are masterpieces in themselves. How bold is the conception, how delicate the workmanship, what a marvel of perfection the sound-hole! But as these Violins are noticed under the head of "Stradivari," it is unnecessary to enter into details here. Besides Stradivari, many makers of less importance followed the "grand Amati" pattern, among whom may be mentioned Jacobs, of Amsterdam, who takes a prominent place as a copyist. The truthfulness of these copies, as regards the chief portions of the instrument, is singularly striking, so much so, indeed, as to cause them to be frequently
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