Scan 97
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators, 1909
8 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 57. See the scan on archive.org.
1SECTION IV
3The Italian School
5THE fifteenth century may be considered as the period when the art of making instruments of the Viol class took root in Italy, a period rich in men labouring in the cause of Art. The long list of honoured names connected with Art in Italy during the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries is a mighty roll-call indeed! The memory dwells upon the number of richly-stored minds that have, within the limits of these three centuries, bequeathed their art treasures to all time; and if here we cannot suppress a comparison of the art world of the present Italy with that of the periods named, still less can we fail to be astonished as we discover the abyss into which Italy must be judged to have sunk in point of merit, when measured by the high standard which in former days she set herself. But perhaps the greatest marvel of all is the rapidity of the decadence when it once set in, as it did immediately after the culminating point of artistic fame had been reached.
7To reflect for a moment upon the many famous
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.