Violin

Joannes Tononi

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Instrument

Violin/Violins/Strings/Musical Instrument ; Violin

Instrument Family

Strings

Maker

Joannes Tononi

Place Made

Europe ; Italy ; Southern Europe

Date Made

Circa 1700

Description

The violin has a soundboard of spruce; ribs, back, neck (not original) and scroll of sycamore; fingerboard, tailpiece (not original), pegs, and tail-gut protector of ebony; and an endbutton of rosewood. The soundboard is of a fairly wide grain, the grain is not completely straight near the bottom. There are plugged holes in the top and bottom of the soundboard. The soundboard has a golden orange varnish, darker in colour under the fingerboard, and has ebony/sycamore/ebony purfling.The varnish has worn away where the chin rests against the soundboard. The back is made from two pieces of wood with plugged holes at the top and bottom of the back. The neck and fingerboard are modern, and the neck has been grafted onto the pegbox. The scroll is made of one piece of wood and the pegbox is made up of two pieces of wood, but the varnish suggests they are all original. Measurements: Neck length 130mm; fingerboard length 262mm, width at nut 23.8mm, at bottom 43.1mm. Arch over soundboard 17mm; back arch 15mm. The label is almost illegible but can be made out as "Antonius and Hieronymus Amati / [illegible] 1640", the 40 handwritten, the remainder printed. "314" has been handwritten on the inside of the head on the treble side. Playing accessories: 1 fine tuner; chin-rest, two-tone free-reed pitch-pipe. With lightweight rigid case of leather-covered pressed cardboard (?), arched top, lined with blue felt and red label "TRADE MARK / M" treble clef, stave, buffalo motifs "W / WARRENTED / REGISTERED JULY 1893" The soundboard and back have been patched. Performance characteristics: A concert violin of excellent tonal quality; fine response, with power in reserve; a good soloist's instrument with a tone that can bloom to fill a large hall. Associated with bow (0337); with Hill Certificate, 1944. Specific literature references: The accompanying documentation contains a copy of letter from William E. Hill & Sons to Professor Sidney T. M. Newman dated 8th June 1946. Current ownership Bequest of John Pourie of Edinburgh (d. 1943). (Reid Collection).

Other Information

The label is almost illegible but can be made out as "Antonius and Hieronymus Amata/ (illegible) 1640," the 40 handwritten, the remainder printed. "314" has been handwritten on the inside of the head on pegbox on the treble side.

Notes

D. Martin, 1993-94.

Measurements

589.

Provenance

Bequest of John Pourie of Edinburgh (d. 1943).

Collection

MIMEd ; Reid Collection

Accession Number

0347

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