A Short Account of a Stradivari Made for Cosimo de Medici

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The Tuscan

Stkadivaki, 1690.

W.

E.

Hill

&

Sons, London.

The

" Tuscan'''

J SHORT ACCOUNT OF A

Violin by Stradivari, MADE

FOR

COSIMO DE MEDICI, Grand Duke of Tuscany,

Dated 1690.

London W.

E. 38,

:

HILL & SONS,

NEW BOND I

8

tj

STREET, W.

I

library.

^TTVr.

^^^^^

m

The Tuscan

Stradivari, 1690.

W.

E.

Hill & Sons, London.

ACCOUNT

A SHORT

OF A

VIOLIJi

by

HIS

SrR^DIV^%I. remarkable instrument, one of

the finest examples of Stradivari's

work,

probably unique

is

the

in

preservation, in every detail, of the

beauty

original

of

its

form and

workmanship.

The

violins of Stradivari, like

most other old works of almost

from the accidents of time.

suffered

all

exceptionally

preserved

well

wood of the

appeared in the soft often lost

instruments, belly, the

some of their accuracy of

art,

Even

specimens,

how

difficult

a violin

in

have

cracks

sound holes have and the varnish

outline,

has been rubbed off the parts most exposed to wear.

consequently been

have

to realise, even

It

has

from the best

looked and spoke when fresh from

the hands of Stradivari.

But the condition preserved, for nearly

in

which

this

two hundred

instrument has been

years, enables us to stand,

in imagination, as contemporaries of the great master, and to

see

and handle a

violin just as

it

left

his

workshop

;

for,

excepting only the longer neck and larger bass-bar demanded

A

6

Short Account of a

by the increased compass and elevated pitch of modern times, it

is

almost absolutely in the same state as

the last finishing

delicate surface of the matchless

shows scarcely since

was

it

lines

of the

tion,

have

a sign

first laid

scroll,

and

The

on

which

;

for

is

almost without excep-

in old violins,

was made

dark varnish used to pick them

and the

lines

known

in

remain almost as

were

a

new

one.

1690, when Stradivari had been

established for himself, in his house in the

Piazza San Domenico,

what

The

orange-red-brown varnish

distinct as if the instrument

some ten years

received

and even the exposed projecting

lost the original

violin

it

of the wear of the two centuries passed

out, are here scarcely rubbed,

fresh

when

touches from Stradivari himself.

as his

At

this

time he was

far

advanced in

second period, in which his innate

genius, matured by experience, freed influence of his master Amati,

him from

the direct

and enabled him to carry into

successful execution the original conceptions

which were the

true foundation of his great frame.

Although the work of Stradivari may broadly speaking be divided into periods, the instruments made in any one of these were not mechanically precise reproductions of one another, but were, for the most part, independent creations

and many

;

of those belonging to the earlier periods fore-

shadowed the higher developments of form

to

which he

afterwards attained.

This instrument he was, even

in particular

at this time,

shows how

little

fettered

by the early influence of Amati, and

advance towards the culmination of his creative

marks

his

power

in the

flatter

form, freer curves, and altogether bolder conception,

it

grand pattern period of 1700 to 1725.

In

its

strongly suggests the later period, while possessing at the

n»|>r

The Tuscan

Stradivari, 1690.

W.

E.

Hill

&

Sons, London.

—

Violin by Stradivari.

7

same time that microscopic perfection of workmanship which distinguished his earlier work.

The

exceptional fortune by which this violin has been

preserved intact has happily fallen to one of the very finest

instruments that ever quality of the

wood

The

Cremona workshop.

the

left

selected, the grace

curves and in the cutting of the scroll

;

of form, alike in the the extreme technical

among

perfection of workmanship, notably shown,

other

points, in the precision of the purfling at the corners

the

beauty of the

transparent

varnish,

question as a great masterpiece

and purity,

rich brilliancy,

:

stamp

it

;

and

beyond

while the tone, in power,

flilly

sustains

the

impression

created by the appearance of an instrument so perfect in

form and material. It is

perhaps unnecessary in this place to assert the pre-

eminence conceded by the greatest players to the work of Stradivari

of the

but

;

it

may

be of interest to record the opinion

living violinist,

first

letter written to a

expression

to

an

Herr Joseph Joachim, who,

in a

well-known English connoisseur, has given almost

universal

He

feeling.

says

" While the violins of Maggini are remarkable for volume of tone, and those of Amati

none of the

pre-eminent a degree as Giuseppe Guarnieri [del

in so

Gesu] and Antonio Stradivari. feeling

liquidity,

makers exhibited the union of sweetness and

celebrated

power

for

must pronounce

I

favourite.

It

is

for

If

I

the

am

to express

latter

as

my own

my

true that in brilliancy and clearness, and

even in liquidity, Guarnieri, in his best instruments, surpassed Stradivari

;

but what appears to is

a

chosen

more unlimited

most varied accents of feeling

me

is

not

peculiar to the tone of

capacity for expressing the "

8

A

'

The

record of the instrument for the second century of

existence

its

Short Account of a

is

complete

;

and there

The

previous history.

as to its

facsimile copy of which

is

is

presumption

a strong

interesting

document

(a

annexed), in the possession of

Messrs. Hill & Sons, shows that in 1794 the violin passed from the hands of Signer G. F. Mosell, of Florence, into

Mr. David Ker, of Portavo,

those of

Ireland, for the

in

sum of about £2^. Signor Mosell's statement, quoted by Mr. Ker, that the violin originally belonged to the Court of Tuscany, points

to the strong probability of

having been one of the

its

Concerto of instruments supplied by Stradivari the

Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo

Concerto

of

consisted

two

violoncello and

were ordered

in

The

violas.

by

— two

The

violins,

a

and violoncello

violins

1684 by one Marquis Ariberti, but appear

not to have been completed until presented

1690 to

de Medici.

III

instruments

five

in

Marquis to

the

1690, when they were

Grand Duke,

the

who

thereupon gave an order to Stradivari for the two instru-

ments required to complete the Concerto.

The

history

of

this

transaction

manuscript notice of Stradivari

contained

is

by Don Desiderio

in

a

Arisi,

which contains many interesting particulars of the commissions executed by the great master, and of the works

with which we are with

a

translation

now

concerned.

We

reproduce here,

appended, an extract referring to the

subject of the present notice.*

•

Don

Desiderio Arisi was a conventual priest of the order of the Gerolimini, and

resided in the convent attached to the famous church of

Cremona. in

He

Cremona.

left

St.

Sigismonde outside

several unpublished biographies of his principal contemporaries

These manuscripts are now preserved

in the

Town

Library.

aJi A

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Violin by Stradivari.

On

1690, Antonio (Stradivari)

19th September,

the

9

received the following letter from the Marchese

Bartolommeo

Ariberti.

"

A

few days ago

presented the Prince of Tuscany

I

my

with the two violins and the violoncello, and to he

satisfaction, fulfilled all

my

declared

be

to

a

instruments, which

and of the violoncello

perfect,

they

that

am

in

had never heard an

that for the flattering reception accorded to I

that

band

his

instrument with such a powerful and agreeable tone.

His Highness,

great

gratification

members of

their praise of the

in

they admitted

particular,

All the

expectations.

were unanimous they

them with

accepted

my

I ft&l

present by

indebted principally to the great care

and labour which you have bestowed upon the construction

At

of these instruments.

some

credit

with you

the same time

for bringing

think

I

your great

notice of such a princely house, and

I

I

may

claim

the

skill to

trust that

may

it

procure frequent orders for you from the same quarter.

my good

earnest of

will

I

have

once the construction of two contralto,

now

to beg

In

you to begin

viols, viz., the tenor,

which are wanted to complete the

at

and the

full concerto,"

&c., &c.

Of

the Concerto,

made

for the

Court of Tuscany, only

one of the violas and the violoncello remain at Florence,

where they are preserved

in the

Royal Institute of Music.

All traces of the other viola and violin have been lost greater part of the valuable collection, left by the

;

the

Grand

Duke at his death, having disappeared fi-om the Pitti Palace. The viola that has been preserved is a very fine instrument of unusual

size.

It

had to be opened

in

1869,

when

the

—

A

lo

belly

Short Account of a

was found to have been strengthened

who had

by the maker,

own

The

hand,

— and added the

Antonio Stradivari " " Prima.

notified the fact in

carefully

following words, written in his

20 Ottobre 1690 per

violoncello

is

in several places

*'

inscription S.

the

Corretta da

me

-

A. da Fiorenza."

also of a very large pattern

and

is

a

splendid instrument.

How

the violin

came

removed from the Court

to be

When

remains a matter of conjecture.

the Duchy, in 1734,

passed away from the family of the Medici, the great art

may have been less guarded, and many opportunities may have occurred

patrons of Italy, the musical collections jealously

for the " improper removal " hinted at in the

above.

But the statement, which we have

document at first

cited

hand, of

Mosell's position at the Court, and the peculiar opportunities

he must have enjoyed for making a judicious transfer of instruments of which he no doubt had the use in his professional capacity, point to an uncharitable but simple expla-

nation of the means by which this violin came into his hands. Certain are

it is

that the

two

violins belonging to the Concerto

gone from the Court collection

Although

Mosell

was

at Florence.

undoubtedly

aware

of

the

Mr. Ker, the purchaser,

exceptional value of the instrument,

appears to have had no interest in violins beyond that of a collector of artistic rarities

account, given to

Tuscan by the advice of no Kauffmann, to

whom

portrait (probably at

at

the

but, according to his his

less

a

own

family, he bought the

person than Angelica

he was at that time sitting for his

Rome, where

her second husband, Zucchi).

bought

;

members of

she was then living with

Probably by her aid also he

same time, out of the

Pitti

Palace,

two

ii

Violin by Stradivari.

pictures

—one

head by

away

it

— both

of which are

home

brought the violin

kingdom

remained perdu

more than

for

its

existence

it

one of his houses

in

years

fifty

;

although

by other members

diligently searched for in several houses

of the family

the

in

as " Glory Holes ") where

known

(locally

preserved

to Ireland and put

some obscure place of safety

in

in that

Leonardo da Vinci, and the other a

fine

RajfFaelle

He

family.

a

was ignored by the successor to

who was engrossed in the absorbing pursuit of book-collecting. The violin no doubt owes its wonderful

the property,

preservation to this apparent indifference on the part of

new owners, for, as a well-known H. R. Haweis, has said " it is

musical writer, the Revd.

—

them

who

neither

play

who keeps who lay them

the collector

and the

for years unstrung,

by, and

its

violinists

upon them nor lend them about,

are the real benefactors

and conservers of the Cremona

gems." In the year

1

847 Mr. Richard Ker,

original purchaser, ascertained, in Ireland, that the violin

identified

it

at

a

grandson of the

when on

a visit to his family

at last

been found, and he

had

once by the original receipt, quoted above,

which was found inside the

The

case.

circumstances

in

which the discovery was made have been communicated to

Messrs.

by

Hill

neighbour of the

Mr.

Ker family

and mark an interesting epoch

About

the year

Ward,

R.

1845,

in

the

(son

destroyed by

and the family took

the

original

Among

and

of Ireland,

north

of the violin.

House, the

Mr. David Ker fire,

connection

in the history

Pc)i"tavo

of

a

residence

purchaser)

refiige

at

of

was

Bangor

Castle, Belfast,

Mr. Ward's seat.

from the

and conveyed to the Castle was found the

fire

the chattels rescued

A

12

Short Account of a

long-sought fiddlel

one end

;

in

old

original

its

studded with brass nails and opening

leather- covered case, at

was enclosed

It

but was quite out of order, with no sound post

With a view to placing the instrument, which he christened " The Toscana," in careful hands, Mr. Richard Ker took it to a friend, Mr. F. Ricardo, an ardent amateur,

or

fittings.

then resident in Paris, and several

puzzled by it

subsequent history includes

its

Mr. Ricardo was

incidents.

interesting

fresh appearance, but lost

its

at

in taking

no time

His old

to the celebrated Parisian maker, Vuillaume.

foreman examined

would give no opinion

carefully, but

it

but, on Vuillaume's entrance, held

Monsieur

Vuillaume,

here

approaching

Vuillaume, without

He

" Oui, certainement."

up and

it

said

Stradivari,"

a

is

first

nearer,

then took

"

:

Here

;

!

which

to

replied at once

the violin in his

:

hands

and pulled out the pegs, remarking that they did not belong to

it.

This interesting testimony to the genuineness of the and to

instrument,

remarkable judgment

the

by Vuillaume, was given by an

possessed

eye-witness of the

oc-

currence.

On

another occasion

maker, Fendt, is

not a Strad

years ago

Messrs.

it

Hill

who it

is

is

was shown to the great English

it

reported to have exclaimed

something better

;

" If

:

it

" and about twelve

was seen by the head of the present firm of

&

whose experienced

Sons,

eye

at

once

recognised the rare beauty of the instrument.

To

return to 1847

5

order by Vuillaume, and to

better

hands.

Mr. Ricardo, by

It

whom

served, until the year

^^e violin was put into playing it

then it

could not have been entrusted

remained

was

little

1875, when

in

the

custody of

used but carefully preit

was acquired by that

——

Violin by Stradivari.

gentleman from Captain Alfred Ker,

Hill

&

and

the

in

Sons.

The

following details of the construction and dimensions

The back

one piece, supplemented a

in

is

:

width, at the lower part, after a great makers

;

and

is

the belly

is

common

wood

wood of rather

soft

that

same wood, while

ribs are of the

formed of two pieces of

in

little

practice of the

cut from the handsomest

The

Stradivari possessed.

fine

beautifully even grain.

The ^

holes, cut

with perfect precision, exhibit

grace and freedom of design. in

;^240,

was bought by the firm of Messrs.

it

of the violin are of some interest

and

great-grandson of

a

sum of

the original purchaser, for the

summer of 1888

13

curve than

is

The

scroll,

though

less

much varied

often the case with the later violins,

is

very characteristic and beautifially modelled, and harmonizes

admirably with the general modelling of the violin.

The measurements

given below are the same as those

of the Dolphin Strad (1714), formerly

now

tion, but

described in

The work of

in

the possession of R.

in the

Adam

Collec-

Bennett, Esq., and

Mr. Hart's well-known work.

only features which characterize this violin as a

the earlier period are the slightly greater hollowing

out of the model round the edges, the exquisite finish of the purfling,

and the drooping corners.

The dimensions

are as follows

Length of body

Width Width

14

across the top across the

bottom

Height of sides (top)

Height of

sides

:

(bottom)

-

A

14

It

bass

Short Account of a Violin by Stradivari.

may

bar

be mentioned that, excepting the change of

already referred to, the

inside

of the vioHn

is

untouched.

We

are able to

Stradivari

give a

We

add three

illustrations

" of the " Tuscan

which represent the instrument accurately, and rendering of

very faithful

its

exceptional beauty.

are indebted for these plates to the admirable

drawing

of Mr. Alfred Slocombe and to the skilful superintendence

by Mr. William Gibb of lithography. first

pictures of

sufficient

of

We

the

their reproduction

believe that a

these

Stradivari violin

accuracy to

show

its

by chromo-

illustrations

ever produced with

details

of

the

workmanship.

Pettitt &

the

true colour, the character

wood, and the minuter

Tiios.

are

Co., Printers, Frith Street, Soho, Loncton, \V.

master's

Music Library

Antonius Stradiuarius Crtmoj^jiCxs Faciebat Anno 1^90^^

What voices hast thou heard, what hands obeyed, What love sustained, what lonely vigils blest, Of those who now are silent and at rest, Since thy great maker's hand was on thee laid In far Cremona, and thy fabric made, Strong, resonant, of beauty manifest.

A

In delicate amber like a garment drest, type of perfect art no time can fade.

What memories haunt

thee of the glorious hour by a master's hand, thy voice, First thrilled with passionate, heart compelling power. Making thy listeners tremble and rejoice ;

When wakened

As the

rich tide of music swept along In highest ecstasy of wordless song !

F.

IS OCQO9

S.

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