Antonio Stradivari 1688 ca. VL Guyot
Despite the fact that this instrument bears an original label reading ‘Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1700’, some of the stylistic details of the violin point to an earlier date, around 1688. For example, the ‘Guyot’ exhibits similarities to the ‘Kubelik’ violin from 1687 as well as to the ‘Mercury’ and ‘Derenberg’ of 1688. It is interesting to note that both Ernest N. Doring and William Henley recorded that the violin was falsely dated 1710, not 1700, and they also reported that it was named after a French family named Guyot. Emil Herrmann agreed with them and added that the family Guyot owned the instrument around 1900. Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod, on the other hand, related the name to ‘the lacklustre luthier named Nicolas Guyot’, who worked in Mirecourt during the period 1745–1761.
Further Details
Antonio Stradivari Set 1, Volume 1, Page 196
