Madame Recamier, painted by Jacques-Louis David, 1800

The Molitor first surfaces in Paris around the turn of the 19^th Century in the hands of Madame Juliette Récamier (1777-1849), a prominent socialite and patroness of the arts in post-revolutionary France. Married at the age of fifteen to a wealthy banker 30 years her senior, Madame Récamier held a fashionable salon that was frequented by leading artists, musicians and the political elite of French Empire society. In addition to the Molitor, Madame Récamier also owned another Stradivarius from the year 1727. It’s not known for certain how Madame Récamier came into possession of these two violins, but Herbert Goodkind’s Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivarius and other references name their first owner as none other than Napoleon Bonaparte.

Count Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor

In 1804 Madame Récamier’s two violins passed to a young General in Napoleon’s army, the Count Gabriel-Jean-Joseph Molitor (1770-1849). Count Molitor was evidently a musician of some stature as well as a distinguished soldier under both Napoleon and the Bourbons. After Count Molitor died in 1849 the violins remained in the possession of the Molitor family for nearly 70 years.

At the height of World War I in 1917 the two violins changed hands and parted company, and the Molitor made its way to Monsieur J Mazeran through the firm of Caressa & Français.

In the summer of 1929 the Molitor was acquired by the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia from the Parisian dealer Charles Enel. At the time, the violin had certificates from Charles Enel and also from Silvestre & Maucotel, both of which have since been lost. Upon receipt by Curtis, the violin was branded “CURTIS PHILA” to the lower rib and entered Curtis’s formidable fleet of loaned instruments. During its time at Curtis the Molitor was loaned to several promising students including Henri Temianka, Jascha Brodsky, Ethel Stark and others. In 1936 the Molitor was sold to the firm of W. E. Hill & Sons.

In 1937 the Hills sold the violin to a Mr. R. A. Bower of Somerset, England and in 1957 E. R. Voigt sold the violin to a Miss Muriel Anderson of Londonderry in Northern Ireland.

Elmar Oliveira acquired the Molitor at Christies in 1989 and concertized and recorded with it until he acquired the c. 1729 Stretton del Gesu around the time of the Guarneri exhibit in 1994.  Mr. Oliveira, the first American violinist to win the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, has enjoyed a distinguished career as a soloist and a champion of new music.

Length of back: 35.5 cm
Upper bouts: 16.1 cm
Center bouts: 10.9 cm
Lower bouts: 20.1 cm

Download here.

Herbert Goodkind, The Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari

The Molitor and other selected highlights from the October sale are available for viewing by appointment in Tarisio’s New York offices. Appointments can also be made for private viewing at the following cities from September 15 to October 10:

• New York
• Toronto
• Chicago
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Tokyo
• Taipei
• Zurich
• Munich
• Cremona
• London
• Boston

In addition the violin can be viewed at our scheduled public viewings:

Cremona: October 1-3 (Mondomusica)
London: October 4-5 (The Westbury Hotel)
New York: October 6-8 (Tarisio)
Boston: October 9-10 (Boston Park Plaza Hotel)
New York: October 11-12 (Tarisio)

Please contact Ethan Ladd at eladd@tarisio.com or +1.800.814.4188 to inquire about appointments. We welcome your inquiries.

Current owner (1994 – present)
Elmar Oliveira (1989 – 1994)
Miss Muriel Anderson, Londonderry (1957 – 1989)
Mr. R. A. Bower, Somerset (1937 – 1957)
The Curtis Institute, Philadelphia (1929 – 1936)
J. Mazeran, Paris (1917 – 1923)
Molitor family (1849 – 1917)
Count Gabriel-Jean-Joseph Molitor, Paris (1804 – 1849)
Madame Juliette Récamier, Paris (? – 1804)

Certificate from W. E. Hill & Sons, London (March 23, 1937)
Letter from Alfred Hill, London (March 23, 1937)
Certificate from E. R. Voigt, London (February 7, 1957)
Certificate from Emile Herrmann, New York (photocopy only)

Charles Enel, Paris (August 30, 1929)
Silvestre & Maucotel (November 28, 1923)

Bidding is conducted online at www.tarisio.com on October 14th, 2010. Phone bidding is encouraged at +1.212.307.7224.  Preregistration is required 24 hours before the sale.

A Fine Italian Violin by Nicolo Amati, Cremona, 1655

Labeled, “Nicolaus Amatus Cremonen, Hieronymi Fil. ac Antoni Nepos Fecit 1655.”

LOB 35.5 cm

* Sold with certificate from Rembert Wurlitzer, New York (December 8, 1955) and Harry A Duffy Violins, Inc (December 15, 1978).

Estimates: $300,000-$500,000

Previews by Appointment, (212) 307-7224 or info@tarisio.com

Lot 570 - A PICTURE BOW BY FRANCOIS NICOLAS VOIRIN

Lot 570 of the Moennig Collection is a French viola bow by François Nicolas Voirin and is one of a small number of Vuillaume workshop bows that were made with a small lens inserted in the eye of the frog. Philip J. Kass has written a series of articles about Vuillaume’s “picture bows” and we asked him to write a short article introducing the history of these fascinating lenses.

Among the more delightful decorations found on bows are the tiny photographic images embedded within a bow frog. Many a player has been fascinated by holding these up close to the eye and beholding famous figures from times long past – the world in a grain of sand, so to speak.

Vuillaume seated

The images themselves are a happy confluence of ideas and technologies from England and France. The magnification was made possible by a lens with a curved face and flat back, known as a Stanhope after the Earl of Stanhope, their inventor. The images themselves were the result of another Englishman, Archer, and his invention of collodion, a photographic emulsion that, when exposed and developed, produced a positive image. Combining the two in miniature was a Frenchman, Dagron, who combined the technologies and in the summer of 1859 presented his miniature marvels to a world that has since never tired of them.

Dagron eventually had a factory, run by his wife in the French Alpine town of Gex, which was producing these in quantity, and with a variety of images within, until only a few decades ago.  This factory supplied them to a number of bow makers, primarily in Germany, but the luthier whose image, and whose creations, are most closely identified with them was Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume in Paris, who is indisputably the first to recognize the novelty potential that they offered.

Vuillaume standing

From around 1860 until the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, a variety of fine bows came out of the Vuillaume shop with tiny images embedded within them, occasionally those of the great violinists and violin makers but usually the wizened portrait of Vuillaume himself, taken from a series of visiting cards and usually featuring him either standing or sitting.

Very few bow makers are associated with these Vuillaume picture bows, as we now call them. One sees the occasional Charles Peccatte and even Pierre Simon – the latter, then living in Mirecourt, probably supplying bows by post that were refitted in Paris – but the overwhelming number of these were created by Vuillaume’s cousin and house bow maker, François Nicolas Voirin, a supreme craftsman of exceptional skill who was thoroughly capable of fitting the delicate lenses without damaging them. The artistry of these bows, coupled with their usually excellent playing qualities, offer ample testimony to Voirin’s position as one of the very greatest of all French bow makers.

Mr. Kass’s article written for The Strad Magazine in October 2005 illustrates this same Voirin viola bow. The article is made available by kind permission of The Strad and Mr. Kass and can be found here.

James Tubbs (1835-1921)

The Tubbs family took over from the Dodds as the leading English bow makers and dominated the craft from the 1830s until the early 20th century. Unquestionably the finest of them all was James Tubbs.

Born into the third generation of Tubbs makers, James at first assisted his father, William, before working independently in London from the 1850s. He made many bows for the Hills, but the relationship soured after some of his bows bearing their brand won medals for the Hills in the 1862 London Exhibition. Later he took care to re-brand as many as possible of his Hill bows.

James modelled his bows on those of the French school, following the influence of the Tourtes, Lupot and others. He developed a tradition of making fine gold- and silver-mounted examples to mark his birthdays, and also made bows as prizes for students at London’s Guildhall School and Royal Academy of Music. His growing reputation brought him the appointment of bow maker to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1874 and his workshop at 47 Wardour Street became famous. The sale includes a picture of  him at the workbench (Lot 442) and an original cardboard bow box from his shop (Lot 77).

Lot 571 – Viola bow, pre-1900, chased gold mounted

This example, which is in near mint condition, shows Tubbs’s characteristic head model, with a rounded top and a smooth front ridge. The chamfers are small but elegant and uniform. The button is long and typical with nearly no taper. The stamp is exceptionally crisp and even though the “Jas” is slightly misplaced it shows an excellent rendering of Tubbs’s second brand.

Lot 602 – Violin bow, pre-1900, silver mounted

Although this bow is silver and ebony mounted, it is made from the same fine figured pernambuco that Tubbs used often throughout his production. Its metal head plate is fixed with five threaded pins: four surrounding the mortise and one at the tip of the nose. The nose of the head plate rises high above the tip and ebony liner. The button shows concentric lathe marks on the end face, while the thread of the screw is rolled, not cut, and the screw is threaded into the button. Note: the images of the thread are not of this bow.

Lot 611 – Violin bow, 1900, gold mounted

A fine example of a Tubbs prize bow, this one was presented to Winifred Williams at the Guildhall School. These bows were made between 1876 and 1910 and the engraving varies between periods, the script for this one being without serifs and very modern in appearance. The wood is reminiscent of early English pernambuco such as that used by the Dodds, and is clear and dense with a pronounced grain and occasional flame.

Lot 612 – Violin bow, 1915, chased gold mounted

This is a classic Tubbs birthday bow and is typical of his late period. It has a broader head, with small and less carefully carved chamfers, and the plain ebony frog has a rounded heel and squarer throat. The full sides of the frog have minimal hollowing, and the adjuster is in one piece. Traces of a heavier, more opaque varnish can be found, which is again typical of his later work. The gold mountings are chased throughout and the script of the birthday engraving on the slide is elegant and classic. The tip is fully chased, including the nose. The lapping, which is probably the original gold tinsel over thread, does not extend under the leather lapping.

These four bows and the other 619 lots of the Moennig Collection are available to view by appointment in our New York offices until June 21. To make an appointment, email info@tarisio.com or call +1 212 307 7224.

Lot 516: Eugène Ysaÿe

It’s well known that M. Ysaÿe had one of the finest collections of French bows, but nowhere in his inventory do we find a anything quite as unique as the bow with two frogs pictured in this print.

Lot 516 (detail): Ysaÿe's secret two-frog bow

Brescian violin making arose alongside that of nearby Cremona, but it was very much an independent school whose makers developed their own approach to the craft. In particular, Brescian instruments are notable for their full, dark tone quality, created by a distinctive arching design rising sharply from the purfling. The highly desirable sonority of Maggini’s often large violins attracted the attention of makers in Cremona and led Antonio Stradivari, constantly in search of an improved sound, to design his Long Pattern violin in the 1690s. Maggini’s influence is even more evident in the work of Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù”, who both imitated his f-hole design and in his later period used a Brescian arching style.

In the 19th century Maggini instruments were sought after by players, and many copies of his work date from this period. This was reflected in the prices paid for his instruments, which a hundred years ago were much closer to those of Stradivari than they are today.

This violin is one of Maggini’s larger models and features the double purfling often seen on Brescian instruments, as well as notably attractive wood. Its head, which has an extra turn to the volute as is common with Maggini copies, is not original. The violin is sold with certificates from Kagen & Gaines and from Carl Becker & Son.

The violin is available to view in our New York office before the sale, and also in Boston April 23-25. To make an appointment to view, email info@tarisio.com or call +1.212.307.7224.

Previously known in the 19^th and 20^th centuries as the work of the Brothers Amati from circa 1620, contemporary scholarship now recognizes this fine Cremonese violin as the work of Francesco Ruggeri from circa 1680.

Lot 397 Francesco Ruggeri

This violin is historically significant as the concert instrument of the Italian child prodigy Maria Milanollo (1832-1848). Maria and her sister Teresa (1827-1904) were born in Savigliano near Turin and began studying music at an early age. Their precocious talent was quickly recognized and in 1837 the family moved to Paris to study with Lafont and later de Bériot.

Maria & Teresa Milanollo

The two sisters gave many concerts together and toured extensively playing in all the major halls of Europe. From early on, their double-act earned the respect of serious critics and garnered the attention and support of many of Europe’s leading musicians including the Italian double bass virtuoso Domenico Dragonetti.

Domenico Dragonetti

It was Dragonetti who supplied both sisters with their concert instruments: Teresa with her 1728 Stradivarius and Maria with this Ruggeri. Sadly, Maria contracted Tuberculosis in October 1848 and died suddenly at the young age of 16.

This handsome violin is built on a smaller pattern typical of Francesco Ruggeri. The modeling is Amatise with its elegant corners (1) and compact f-holes with neatly tapered wings (2). The arching (3&4) is strong but low and quite advanced in concept. The head (5 & 6) is typical of this maker and in this example the edges (7) and center ridge (8) of the dorsal side are still extremely crisp and show few signs of wear. Full rib heights and strong arching make this an excellent soloist instrument, particularly for someone with smaller hands.

This violin is available at the public viewings in New York and Boston before the sale as well as by appointment in our New York offices during April. To make an appointment, email info@tarisio.com or call +1 212 307 7224.

How to Bid is a whirlwind tutorial on the basics of Tarisio’s bidding platform. It doesn’t cover all of the tools available for navigation and viewing pictures, but we hope you’ll agree it will give anyone a good “crash-course” in the bidding process and get them on their feet with the basics.

How to Consign is meant to walk consignors through the process and illustrate what the company headquarters looks like to those not able to see it in person. We’d like this video to combat the notion that Tarisio is an “Amazon” or “EBay” for violins, and let the footage of the office and our employees speak for itself to let consignors know their instruments will be sent to a professional environment.

How to Ship is a straight-ahead educational video to teach consignors the proper way to pack their instrument. This can be a nervous step in the consignment process for some, and we wanted to show exactly how to do it, step by step. We’re confident that following this method is safe and reliable.

How to Photograph is also an education video to teach prospective consignors how to take useful photographs for submission. We knew we needed to do more for those that didn’t quite know what angles, distance, and lighting would be most useful for our experts. Hopefully seeing the process on video will illustrate what a set of practical identification photos will look like. The video concludes with instructions on the best way to submit those photographs.

Feel free to submit suggestions for any possible additions to the videos. We can’t guarantee that we’ll include everything, but we consider the feedback valuable. Our overarching goal with the videos is to help expand the accessibility of our auctions for collectors, members of the trade, and musicians. Enjoy!