Antonio Stradivari 1727 VL Barrère
This instrument still bears an original label dated 1727, and it is named for Mr. Camille Barrère (1851–1940), a renowned French politician. The violin has a two-piece back made of maple wood cut on the quarter and marked by vivid curls of medium width, which ascend slightly from the centre joint. The sides and head are crafted from a wood similar to the one used for the back, and the top is made of two pieces of spruce finely grained at the centre and broadening towards the flanks. The Hills recorded that the belly was an original Stradivari, but they noted that it was not crafted at the same time as the rest of the instrument and indicated that it had been modified to fit the violin. This opinion was later confirmed by Emil Herrmann. Moreover, Harry A. Duffy wrote that the belly came from an instrument dated 1719 and that it was skilfully adapted to this violin by the Hills in 1921. The varnish is of an orange-red colour over a golden ground.
Further Details
Antonio Stradivari Set 1, Volume 4, Page 120
