Antonio Stradivari 1670–1672 ca. VL
This violin still bears an original label that reads ‘Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno’, although its production date is unfortunately no longer legible. The instrument was recorded in the certificate of the German violin maker Wilhelm Hammig of Berlin as having a production date of 1680, and Hammig also added that the scroll was not original. The Hamma dealership was of a different opinion and accordingly dated the violin to 1670–72, stating that the scroll was indeed original and had belonged to one of Stradivari’s earlier productions in which his heads had been smaller and characterised by a more delicate crafting. This showed the influence of Nicolò Amati (1596–1684) that the later scrolls, slightly larger and more robustly built, had lost. But in accordance with what had previously been stated by W. Hammig, the French violin maker, Emile Français, wrote that the head was not original, as did the luthier Dietmar Machold, who suggested for it an Italian craftsmanship of a slightly later date.
Further Details
Antonio Stradivari Set 1, Volume 1, Page 78
