Antonio Stradivari 1708–09 ca. VL Andrejeus
This instrument still bears an original label reading ‘Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1726’ and it was accordingly considered a work from Stradivari’s Late Period for a very long time. Charles Beare, however, was of a different opinion and recorded it as hailing from a much earlier time: ‘although it bears an original label dated 1726, there is no doubt that it was actually made in 1708 or thereabouts—the model, the wood of the back, and the varnish, all testify to this. […] I cannot explain how the violin came to have a label dated 1726, but there are a number of Stradivari instruments with dates much later than the actual time of manufacture, and it is possible that he only came to date it when he finally parted with it, a practice he certainly followed on several other occasions.’ Nowadays, the violin is unanimously considered a work from c.1708 due to its similarities with other instruments manufactured around that time. For instance, its back resembles that of ‘La Cathédrale’ from 1707. The violin is named after the renowned violinist Alexis Andreeff (also spelled Andrejeus), who was director of the Conservatoire russe de Paris Serge Rachmaninoff in Paris, France.
Further Details
Antonio Stradivari Set 1, Volume 2, Page 324
