Baroque Violin #11
This was the first of the violins I built as part of my work for J. Bradley Taylor. Beginning in 1978 I devoted one day a week to making new violins with a separate workshop set up where I would not be disturbed by the business of the repair shop.
I had become very interested in baroque set-up and with an active market for early instruments in Boston, building in baroque form was natural choice for me. The form was one taken from the Violin Making School in Mittenwald where I had studied, and the wood was German-sourced wood that Brad had in stock at the time.
In looking at the violin 35 years after making it, I can see a recognizable aesthetic and hand, along with a tentativeness and conservatism, both understandable in an early work.
The violin was sold to a student of Dan Stepner, who later traded it for another violin. It was then sold to Amanda Burr who used it till her death in 2011. Amanda’s family has now made this violin available for sale. With the violin is a bow from the workshop of Arnold Dolmetsch whose brand it bears. The stick of pernambuco wood is fluted, and has a frog and button of Mammoth Ivory. Amanda’s modern violin, my Opus 157, is also available for sale.
To see a description and more photos, go to the website.