Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1672, the 'Gustav Mahler'
Viola: 41367
Bearing its original label, with the printing error: "Antonins Stradiuarius Cremonensis / Faciebat Anno 1672."
Back: Two-piece of poplar
Top: of prominent medium grain in the center, widening towards the flanks
Varnish: Golden-brown
Length of back: 41.2 cm
Upper bouts: 19.6 cm
Middle bouts: 13.5 cm
Lower bouts: 25 cm
There are 5 additional images in the archive which are not available publicly. Please contact us for more information.
Notes:
Stradivari's first known viola. So named because it was purchased by Rolf Habisreutinger on July 7, 1960, the 100th birthday of Gustav Mahler.The first of Stradivari's surviving violas. The instrument was exhibited at the South Kensington Museum in London in 1872, and was illustrated in George Hart's book "The Violin, its Famous Makers and Their Imitators."
Capolavori di Antonio Stradivari, Charles Beare, Charles Beare, Capolavori di Antonio Stradivari, Milan
According to Doring, the violin still had its original bass bar, as of 1952.
How Many Strads? - Supplemental, Ernest N. Doring, Violins & Violinists, April-May, 1952, Chicago
"The 'Mahler' was in the possession of the English collector Joseph Gillott, from Birmingham. The entire Gillott collection which consisted of more than ten precious instruments, was sold in 1872 with this viola fetching £51, probably from Mr. P.R. Parera, who kept it in his possession until 1877." – Alessandra Barabaschi
Antonius Stradivarius (Volumes I-IV), Jost Thöne, Jan Röhrmann, Alessandra Barabaschi, Jost Thöne, Jan Röhrmann, Alessandra Barabaschi, Antonius Stradivarius (Volumes I-IV), Cologne
Provenance
| Sold by Jean Werro | |
| Sold by Hans Schicker | |
| until 1872 | Joseph Gillott |
| in 1872 | Sold by Christie's |
| 1872-1877 | P. R. Parera |
| in 1877 | Sold by Puttick & Simpson |
| from 1877 | John Hart |
| in 1885 and until 1893 | Richard Bennett |
| until 1893 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1893 | A. W. Young |
| in 1930 | Miss Reid |
| ... | ... |
| 1950-1959 | Henry Werro |
| 1960-1990 | Rolf Habisreutinger |
| from 1990 | Stradivari Stiftung Habisreutinger, Switzerland |
Known players
Antoine Tamestit, Hannes Bärtschi
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1893)
Cozio holds copies of many certificates and other documents, some of which are available to view on request. Please contact us if you wish to view a particular document. (Note that we do not always have permission to share documents.)
References
Alte Meistergeigen: Band III und IV, Die Cremoneser Schule / Antonius Stradivarius, Verband Schweizerischer Geigenbaumeister, Verlag Edwin Bochinsky, Frankfurt am Main (illustrated)- Antonio Stradivari and His Instruments, William Henley, Amati Publishing, Ltd., Sussex, 1961 (illustrated)
- Antonius Stradivarius (Volumes I-IV), Jost Thöne, Jan Röhrmann, Alessandra Barabaschi, Jost Thöne Verlag, Cologne, 2010 (illustrated)
- Capolavori di Antonio Stradivari, Charles Beare, Arnoldo Mondadori S.p.A., Milan (illustrated)
- Catalogue of the Special Exhibition at South Kensington, England, Carl Engel, South Kensington Museum, London
- Correspondence with Hannes Bärtschi, June, 2006
FESTIVAL 2019- Violins & Violinists, April-May, 1952, Ernest N. Doring, William Lewis & Son, Chicago (illustrated)
- I Capolavori Cremonesi della Royal Academy of Music, Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari, Cremona (illustrated)
- Italian Violin Makers (1964), Karel Jalovec, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1964
- Ars Musica, Aloys Greither, Bayer AG, Heft 10 (illustrated)
- Joseph Gillott, Cozio Carteggio feature, John Dilworth, Feb 2020
- La Casa Nuziale: The Home of Antonio Stradivari, 1667-1680, Arnaldo Baruzzi, W. E. Hill & Sons, London (illustrated)
- Mostra di Antonio Stradivari (Palazzo Borromeo - Isola Bella), Turris Editrice, Cremona (illustrated)
- Stradivari Varnish: Scientific Analysis of his Finishing Technique on Selected Instruments, Brigitte Brandmair & Stefan-Peter Greiner (illustrated)
- The 'Secrets' of Stradivari, Simone Fernando Sacconi, Eric Blot Edizioni, Cremona (illustrated)
- The Jacques Français Rare Violins, Inc. Photographic Archive and Business Records, 1844-1998, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (illustrated)
- Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari 1644-1737, Herbert K. Goodkind, Larchmont, NY (illustrated)
- The Violin: Its Famous Makers and their Imitators, George Hart, Dulau & Co., London (illustrated)
- W. E. Hill & Sons Photographic Archive (illustrated)
- We Love Stradivari, NHK (illustrated)