Violin made in Saxony, circa 1880
This violin has now sold.
About Saxon violins
This violin was made in Markneukirchen, a small town in the Saxony region of Germany famous for its great number of violin making workshops. The town is less than 10km away from Luby, its Czech equivalent, leading to a great deal of crossover between the two towns.
The town remains active as a centre of violin making today, with over 100 different instrument workshops and a charming museum dedicated to its extraordinary history.
About the violin
This violin was made in Markneukirchen around 1880. It is a workshop violin, meaning that it was made by a number of highly-skilled luthiers working as a team. Each person would have been responsible for a different aspect of the violin´s creation, from roughing out the belly to carving the scroll. This method allowed the workshops to produce a high number of instruments whilst not compromising on quality.
The violin has a two piece back of medium-flamed maple. The front is two pieces of medium-grained spruce which widens towards the flanks. The varnish is a warm brown colour laid over a lighter golden ground. The violin is modelled after the instruments of Stradivari and the length of back is 360 mm.
How does it sound?
Smooth and easy to play, this violin has a lovely dark sound. It is even across the strings and projects very well.
Condition
The violin is in very good condition. There is a sap mark on the lower bout of the bass side: this mark is from when the tree was growing and does not affect the strength of the plate or the sound of the violin.