Scan 194
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1884
6 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 134. See the scan on archive.org.
1genius is constantly showing some last resort, as it were, impregnable to imitation.
3The sound-hole, also, of Guarneri always preserves its distinctive character, and a grotesque humour which at once pleases the eye, though it is found to vary considerably with the three periods of his life. Again, the button—that portion of the back against which the head of the neck rests, which forms a prominent mark in all Violins, and evidence of style, has a remarkably pronounced development in the Violins of Guarneri, and, in fact, may be said to give a vitality to the whole work. There are many instances where excellent and original specimens of workmanship have been, speaking artistically, ruined for want of skill in handling that simple factor of the Violin.
5Having endeavoured to point out the chief features in the work and style of this remarkable maker, I have only to add that his imitators would far exceed in number all the Violin makers that the city of Cremona ever sheltered. There has ever been a diversity of purpose with these Guarneri imitators, distinct from those of Stradivari and others. They may be divided into three orders, viz., the bona fide copyist, the subtle copyist, and the wholesale copyist. The first sets about making his instrument resemble the original as closely as possible, and when completed, sends it forth as a copy and nothing else. Among these legitimate imitators were Lupot, Gand, Vuillaume, and others.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.