a short account of a stradivari made for cosimo de medici

8/2/2019 A Short Account of a Stradivari Made for Cosimo de Medici

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The Tuscan Stkadivaki, 1690. W. E. Hill & Sons, London.


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The " Tuscan'''

J SHORT ACCOUNTOF A

Violin by Stradivari,MADE FOR

COSIMO DE MEDICI,Grand Duke of Tuscany,

Dated 1690.

London :W. E. HILL & SONS,

38, NEW BOND STREET, W.I 8 tj I


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The Tuscan Stradivari, 1690. W. E. Hill & Sons, London.


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A SHORT ACCOUNTOF A

VIOLIJi by SrR^DIV^%I.

HIS remarkable instrument, one ofthe finest examples of Stradivari'swork, is probably unique in thepreservation, in every detail, of theoriginal beauty of its form andworkmanship.

The violins of Stradivari, likemost other old works of art, have

almost all suffered from the accidents of time. Even inexceptionally well preserved instruments, cracks haveappeared in the soft wood of the belly, the sound holes haveoften lost some of their accuracy of outline, and the varnishhas been rubbed off the parts most exposed to wear. It hasconsequently been difficult to realise, even from the bestspecimens, how a violin looked and spoke when fresh fromthe hands of Stradivari.

But the condition in which this instrument has beenpreserved, for nearly two hundred years, enables us to stand,in imagination, as contemporaries of the great master, and tosee and handle a violin just as it left his workshop ; for,excepting only the longer neck and larger bass-bar demanded


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6 A Short Account of aby the increased compass and elevated pitch of modern times,it is almost absolutely in the same state as when it receivedthe last finishing touches from Stradivari himself. Thedelicate surface of the matchless orange-red-brown varnishshows scarcely a sign of the wear of the two centuries passedsince it was first laid on ; and even the exposed projectinglines of the scroll, which in old violins, almost without excep-tion, have lost the original dark varnish used to pick themout, are here scarcely rubbed, and the lines remain almost asfresh and distinct as if the instrument were a new one.

The violin was made in 1690, when Stradivari had beenfor some ten years established for himself, in his house in thePiazza San Domenico, At this time he was far advanced inwhat is known as his second period, in which his innategenius, matured by experience, freed him from the directinfluence of his master Amati, and enabled him to carry intosuccessful execution the original conceptions which were thetrue foundation of his great frame.

Although the work of Stradivari may broadly speakingbe divided into periods, the instruments made in any one ofthese were not mechanically precise reproductions of oneanother, 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 heafterwards attained.

This instrument in particular shows how little fetteredhe was, even at this time, by the early influence of Amati, andmarks his advance towards the culmination of his creativepower in the grand pattern period of 1700 to 1725. In itsflatter form, freer curves, and altogether bolder conception,it strongly suggests the later period, while possessing at the


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The Tuscan Stradivari, 1690. W. E. Hill & Sons, London.


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Violin by Stradivari. 7

same time that microscopic perfection of workmanship whichdistinguished his earlier work.

The exceptional fortune by which this violin has beenpreserved intact has happily fallen to one of the very finestinstruments that ever left the Cremona workshop. Thequality of the wood selected, the grace of form, alike in thecurves and in the cutting of the scroll ; the extreme technicalperfection of workmanship, notably shown, among otherpoints, in the precision of the purfling at the corners ; andthe transparent beauty of the varnish, stamp it beyondquestion as a great masterpiece : while the tone, in power,rich brilliancy, and purity, flilly sustains the impressioncreated by the appearance of an instrument so perfect inform and material.

It is perhaps unnecessary in this place to assert the pre-eminence conceded by the greatest players to the work ofStradivari ; but it may be of interest to record the opinionof the first living violinist, Herr Joseph Joachim, who, in aletter written to a well-known English connoisseur, has givenexpression to an almost universal feeling. He says" While the violins of Maggini are remarkable for volumeof tone, and those of Amati for liquidity, none of thecelebrated makers exhibited the union of sweetness andpower in so pre-eminent a degree as Giuseppe Guarnieri [delGesu] and Antonio Stradivari. If I am to express my ownfeeling I must pronounce for the latter as my chosenfavourite. It is true that in brilliancy and clearness, andeven in liquidity, Guarnieri, in his best instruments, is notsurpassed ; but what appears to me peculiar to the tone ofStradivari is a more unlimited capacity for expressing themost varied accents of feeling "


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8 ' A Short Account of aThe record of the instrument for the second century of

its existence is complete ; and there is a strong presumptionas to its previous history. The interesting document (afacsimile copy of which is annexed), in the possession ofMessrs. Hill & Sons, shows that in 1794 the violin passedfrom the hands of Signer G. F. Mosell, of Florence, intothose of Mr. David Ker, of Portavo, in Ireland, for thesum of about 2^.

Signor Mosell's statement, quoted by Mr. Ker, that theviolin originally belonged to the Court of Tuscany, pointsto the strong probability of its having been one of theConcerto of instruments supplied by Stradivari in 1690 tothe Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III de Medici. TheConcerto consisted of five instruments two violins, avioloncello and two violas. The violins and violoncellowere ordered in 1684 by one Marquis Ariberti, but appearnot to have been completed until 1690, when they werepresented by the Marquis to the Grand Duke, whothereupon gave an order to Stradivari for the two instru-ments required to complete the Concerto.

The history of this transaction is contained in amanuscript notice of Stradivari by Don Desiderio Arisi,which contains many interesting particulars of the com-missions executed by the great master, and of the workswith which we are now concerned. We reproduce here,with a translation appended, an extract referring to thesubject of the present notice.*

Don Desiderio Arisi was a conventual priest of the order of the Gerolimini, andresided in the convent attached to the famous church of St. Sigismonde outsideCremona. He left several unpublished biographies of his principal contemporariesin Cremona. These manuscripts are now preserved in the Town Library.


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On the 19th September, 1690, Antonio (Stradivari)received the following letter from the Marchese BartolommeoAriberti.

" A few days ago I presented the Prince of Tuscanywith the two violins and the violoncello, and to my greatsatisfaction, he accepted them with a gratification thatfulfilled all my expectations. All the members of his bandwere unanimous in their praise of the instruments, whichthey declared to be perfect, and of the violoncello inparticular, they admitted that they had never heard aninstrument with such a powerful and agreeable tone. I ft&lthat for the flattering reception accorded to my present byHis Highness, I am indebted principally to the great careand labour which you have bestowed upon the constructionof these instruments. At the same time I think I may claimsome credit with you for bringing your great skill to thenotice of such a princely house, and I trust that it mayprocure frequent orders for you from the same quarter. Inearnest of my good will I have now to beg you to begin atonce the construction of two viols, viz., the tenor, and thecontralto, which are wanted to complete the full concerto,"&c., &c.

Of the Concerto, made for the Court of Tuscany, onlyone 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 ; thegreater part of the valuable collection, left by the GrandDuke at his death, having disappeared fi-om the Pitti Palace.The viola that has been preserved is a very fine instrumentof unusual size. It had to be opened in 1869, when the


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lo A Short Account of abelly was found to have been strengthened in several placesby the maker, who had carefully notified the fact in thefollowing words, written in his own hand, *' Corretta da meAntonio Stradivari "and added the inscription -

" Prima. 20 Ottobre 1690 per S. A. da Fiorenza."The violoncello is also of a very large pattern and is asplendid instrument.How the violin came to be removed from the Courtremains a matter of conjecture. When the Duchy, in 1734,passed away from the family of the Medici, the great artpatrons of Italy, the musical collections may have been lessjealously guarded, and many opportunities may have occurredfor the " improper removal " hinted at in the document citedabove. But the statement, which we have at first hand, ofMosell's position at the Court, and the peculiar opportunitieshe must have enjoyed for making a judicious transfer ofinstruments of which he no doubt had the use in his profes-sional capacity, point to an uncharitable but simple expla-nation of the means by which this violin came into his hands.Certain it is that the two violins belonging to the Concertoare gone from the Court collection at Florence.

Although Mosell was undoubtedly aware of theexceptional value of the instrument, Mr. Ker, the purchaser,appears to have had no interest in violins beyond that ofa collector of artistic rarities ; but, according to his ownaccount, given to members of his family, he bought theTuscan by the advice of no less a person than AngelicaKauffmann, to whom he was at that time sitting for hisportrait (probably at Rome, where she was then living withher second husband, Zucchi). Probably by her aid also hebought at the same time, out of the Pitti Palace, two


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Violin by Stradivari. ii

picturesone a fine Leonardo da Vinci, and the other ahead by RajfFaelleboth of which are preserved in thefamily. He brought the violin home to Ireland and put itaway in some obscure place of safety in one of his housesin that kingdom (locally known as " Glory Holes ") whereit remained perdu for more than fifty years ; althoughdiligently searched for in several houses by other membersof the family its existence was ignored by the successor tothe property, who was engrossed in the absorbing pursuit ofbook-collecting. The violin no doubt owes its wonderfulpreservation to this apparent indifference on the part of itsnew owners, for, as a well-known musical writer, the Revd.H. R. Haweis, has said" it is the collector who keepsthem for years unstrung, and the violinists who lay themby, and neither play upon them nor lend them about,who are the real benefactors and conservers of the Cremonagems."

In the year 1 847 Mr. Richard Ker, a grandson of theoriginal purchaser, ascertained, when on a visit to his familyin Ireland, that the violin had at last been found, and heidentified it at once by the original receipt, quoted above,which was found inside the case. The circumstances inwhich the discovery was made have been communicatedto Messrs. Hill by Mr. R. Ward, a connection andneighbour of the Ker family in the north of Ireland,and mark an interesting epoch in the history of the violin.About the year 1845, Pc)i"tavo House, the residence ofMr. David Ker (son of the original purchaser) wasdestroyed by fire, and the family took refiige at BangorCastle, Belfast, Mr. Ward's seat. Among the chattels rescuedfrom the fire and conveyed to the Castle was found the


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12 A Short Account of along-sought fiddlel It was enclosed in its original oldleather-covered case, studded with brass nails and openingat one end ; but was quite out of order, with no sound postor fittings. With a view to placing the instrument, whichhe christened " The Toscana," in careful hands, Mr. RichardKer took it to a friend, Mr. F. Ricardo, an ardent amateur,then resident in Paris, and its subsequent history includesseveral interesting incidents. Mr. Ricardo was at firstpuzzled by its fresh appearance, but lost no time in takingit to the celebrated Parisian maker, Vuillaume. His oldforeman examined it carefully, but would give no opinion ;but, on Vuillaume's entrance, held it up and said : " Here !Monsieur Vuillaume, here is a Stradivari," to whichVuillaume, without approaching nearer, replied at once :" Oui, certainement." He then took the violin in his handsand pulled out the pegs, remarking that they did not belongto it. This interesting testimony to the genuineness of theinstrument, and to the remarkable judgment possessedby Vuillaume, was given by an eye-witness of the oc-currence.

On another occasion it was shown to the great Englishmaker, Fendt, who is reported to have exclaimed : " If itis not a Strad it is something better ; " and about twelveyears ago it was seen by the head of the present firm ofMessrs. Hill & Sons, whose experienced eye at oncerecognised the rare beauty of the instrument.

To return to 1847 5 ^^e violin was put into playingorder by Vuillaume, and it could not have been entrustedto better hands. It then remained in the custody ofMr. Ricardo, by whom it was little used but carefully pre-served, until the year 1875, when it was acquired by that


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gentleman from Captain Alfred Ker, a great-grandson ofthe original purchaser, for the sum of ;^240, and in thesummer of 1888 it was bought by the firm of Messrs.Hill & Sons.

The following details of the construction and dimensionsof the violin are of some interest :

The back is in one piece, supplemented a little inwidth, at the lower part, after a common practice of thegreat makers ; and is cut from the handsomest wood thatStradivari possessed. The ribs are of the same wood, whilethe belly is formed of two pieces of soft wood of rather fineand beautifully even grain.

The ^ holes, cut with perfect precision, exhibit muchgrace and freedom of design. The scroll, though less variedin curve than is often the case with the later violins, isvery characteristic and beautifially modelled, and harmonizesadmirably with the general modelling of the violin.

The measurements given below are the same as thoseof the Dolphin Strad (1714), formerly in the Adam Collec-tion, but now in the possession of R. Bennett, Esq., anddescribed in Mr. Hart's well-known work.The only features which characterize this violin as awork of the earlier period are the slightly greater hollowingout of the model round the edges, the exquisite finish of thepurfling, and the drooping corners.

The dimensions are as follows :Length of bodyWidth across the topWidth across the bottom -Height of sides (top)Height of sides (bottom)

14


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MusicLibrary

Antonius Stradiuarius Crtmoj^jiCxsFaciebat 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.In delicate amber like a garment drest,A type of perfect art no time can fade.What memories haunt thee of the glorious hourWhen wakened by a master's hand, thy voice,

First thrilled with passionate, heart compelling power.Making thy listeners tremble and rejoice ;

As the rich tide of music swept alongIn highest ecstasy of wordless song !

F. S.


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a short account of a stradivari made for cosimo de medici

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