Scan 253
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1884
12 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1George Eliot's fancy well contrasts the painter Naldo—
3"Knowing all tricks of style at thirty-one,
4And weary of them; while Antonio
5At sixty-nine wrought placidly his best."
7From about 1700 his instruments show to us much of that which follows later. The outline is changed, but the curves blending one with another are beautiful in the extreme. The corners are treated differently. The wood used for the backs and sides is most handsome, having a broad curl; the cutting adopted is chiefly that shown in figure 1. The scrolls are of bold conception and finely executed. The varnish also is very rich, and leaves nothing to be desired.
9It is not possible to convey to the reader by means of mere description anything approaching an adequate notion of the surpassing gracefulness of the entire work of this epoch. The eye must be made the channel to the mind. If the work is present, then, with the aid which these remarks will afford, the reader may gain, by careful study, much valuable insight into the beauties and genius of this famous artist, together with much useful information. The "Betts Strad," date 1704, Plate 17, owing to its marvellous state of preservation, shows to perfection how a Violin of this epoch looked when it left the hands of Stradivari.
11But during this period of his maturity, even, we find that Stradivari did not absolutely confine him-
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