HELP WITH NAME OF ANTIQUE VIOLIN - TORN LABEL

Can anyone tell who made this violin by the partial letterss that are left on a torn label inside it?
I believe it's old - but it also has "Made in Germany" on the label in english!?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

and the beautiful case!

 

Think you'll find it here. And likely to be faked. Don't overlook the bow. Not infrequently, they have more value than the violin.

https://www.cmuse.org/most-famous-violin-labels/

Debora

 

Very likely to be a copy of a Stradivarius, some of the lettering is visible, the Germans made of lots them. I have a Victorian one made around 1880, yours seems not as old to me.

 

These were copies rather than fakes, and not great copies. This company didn't even try to get the finish right.

 

I once asked a viola-playing friend about a similar violin, also with a Stradivarius label, & she said it was a common student model.

 

& it looks like a common student owned it.....& played it to within an inch of it's life....
that...or a street performer..!

 

normally it reads antonius stradivarius cremonensis. in the 19th and well into the 20th c. they were made in places like Mittenwald (Bavaria) which is still called Geigenstadt. they were made "after" Strad models brought from Cremona and no one ever took both of these for the real deal.
the quality was from mediocre to very good and depended on the abilities of the maker and the price.
for export they had to print the made in Germany due import legislation in certain countries - fron 1890s onwards.
all in all they were part of the first mail order era and a good opportunity for parents, students and yokels.

 

As said....there were so many makers that the label is unlikely to reveal much. For an assessment of quality, I'd take it to any of the reputable violin shops listed with the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, if in the US:
https://www.afvbm.org/member-list/

 

Yep. If you're trying to find out what a violin is worth, it's worth what it sounds like. One that sounds good is worth money. If it sounds like the neighborhood fisher cat, it's best used as decoration or firewood.

 

Yes, and a good violin shop won't have to repair it to know how it will sound, and what it is worth; they'll look at it and say "That's a Strad copy made by XYZ, and instruments from that maker are worth $ABC when in good shape. Yours would take $DEF to put into playing condition."

 

I'd be out of such a "good violin shop" faster than a 100-meter gold medalist.
if someone pretends to know the anonymous maker of a German copy of a Cremonese violin I doubt he has all his marbles.

 

I'd have to disagree. The vast majority of instruments like this were not made by individual craftspeople, but in large shops, and the identifying features of those shops are well-documented, and well-known to any reputable violin shop.
I see nothing to say that this one is German, though Germany would be a common country of origin; but a reputable shop would be able to identify the country of origin, and probably the city of origin if not the exact maker.
Shops that subscribe to the Federation of Violin Makers' code of ethics don't pretend. They've got reference books listing the characteristics of thousands of makers and companies. If they can't ID it, they'll tell you that.
At least that has been my experience.

 

"I see nothing to say that this one is German,"
yeah, so true. there speaks the real expert.
PS: that's why they printed "Made in Germany" on the label isn't it ?

 

LOL - that's what I was thinking. The label indicates this was made after 1890. My guess is it's somewhere between 1890 and 1914.

 

Style of varnish doesn't look German to me, despite what the label says. In any case, I'd suggest a reputable shop would provide better advice than that based on online photos.
But it is always fun to see the photos and speculate.
This one needs some work, but does not appear to be too bad, condition-wise.

 

"I'd suggest a reputable shop would provide better advice than that based on online photos"
"Style of varnish doesn't look German to me, despite what the label says"
sounds logic.

 

At this point it would be civil to comment on the item itself.....and even dispute another members opinions.....but quips and cracks and snide remarks directed squarely at another member.........that's got no place here !!

 

I did comment on these violins more than enough. and every European on the continent knows them very well. they're around on every fleamarket, in every salvation army and social security shop. they are either used as decorator's items or go - for the most part - directly into the dump because there value is so low.
if the truth is looked upon by you as snide remarks - then be it. for me the realities and the truth are here on earth and not "out there".
it's not my fault when certain people here with no experience of European stuff try to impose their valueless opinions about European items. and it's not my fault when someone gives such illogical comments as the above.

 

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