Antonio & Girolamo Amati, Cremona, 1615, the 'Stauffer'
Viola: 42170
Labeled, "Antonius & Hieronymus Fr. Amati Cremonen. Andreæ fil. F 1615."
Back: One-piece of medium curl sloping from left to right
Top: of distinct grain, broadening slightly towards the flanks
Scroll: of wood similar to back
Ribs: of wood similar to back
Varnish: Golden-brown
Length of back: 41.1 cm
Upper bouts: 19.6 cm
Middle bouts: 12.9 cm
Lower bouts: 24.6 cm
There are 4 additional images in the archive which are not available publicly. Please contact us for more information.
Notes:
"Property of the Stauffer Foundation, was entrusted in 1996 to the Collection of Musical Instruments in the Municipal Palace of Cremona. The label bears the name of both the brothers Amati, but the viola was made by Gerolamo, since Antonio died in 1607. The viola is now in modern mountings, but we can find information on the lost measures of the neck in a very similar instrument by the Amati brothers in original mountings, now preserved in the Collection of the Galleria Estense in Modena. Instrument with an excellent balance of tone and ease of response."The viola, of fine workmanship, is in excellent condition. The varnish, absolutely original, is a beautiful golden brown colour. The sonority of the viola is extremely balanced on all four strings; the facility of its emission is remarkable, as is also the projection of its sound.
Provenance
| Dendy | |
| Sold by W. E. Hill & Sons | |
| until 1898 | Lord Wilton |
| 1898-1899 | Lady Wilton |
| 1899-1901 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1901 | Baron Johann Knoop |
| in 1930 | Sold by W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1930 | George H. Kemp |
| until 1949 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1949 | Justice Lionel Jellinek |
| until 1962 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| 1962-1996 | Harry Danks |
| from 1996 | Walter Stauffer Musicological Foundation of Cremona (Museo del Violino) |
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1962)
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
Amati in concert: 500 years of heritage, Andrea Amati 500 Foundation, Maastricht (illustrated)- Cremona's Instruments, Charles Beare, Bruce Carlson & Andrea Mosconi, cremonabooks, Cremona (illustrated)
- Federico Lowenberger, violin maker in Genova, viola da gamba, baroque violin, viol,
baroque instruments, renaissance
- Gli Strumenti di Cremona, Charles Beare, Bruce Carlson & Andrea Mosconi, Cremona Books, Cremona (illustrated)
- the Amatis' DNA: A Dynasty of Stringed Instrument Makers in Cremona, Fausto Cacciatori, Bruce Carlson & Carlo Chiesa, Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari Cremona, Cremona (illustrated)
- The Strad, May, 1996, John Dilworth, Orpheus, London (illustrated)
- W. E. Hill & Sons Photographic Archive (illustrated)