Youth and experience: One of Stradivari’s earliest violins, revisited in his Golden Period
Jason PriceThe ‘Salabue, Matsuda’ is one of the very first violins that Stradivari ever made. It is handsome, remarkably well preserved and rich in history. But the most exciting part of its story is that it has a unique and special secret: the front of the ‘Salabue’ was purposely re-made by Stradivari himself, more than fifty years later, in c. 1716, at the height of his Golden Period.
An important violin bow made by Vuillaume’s best bowmaker for Prince Caraman de Chimay
Jason PriceToday is the 226th anniversary of the birth of Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, the most famous French violin maker of all time. In celebration, today’s Carteggio examines a very special violin bow that was made by Vuillaume’s best bow maker at the time, Pierre Simon, for the Belgian diplomat, businessman and music lover, Prince Caraman de Chimay. This decorated and highly important violin bow was recently sold by Tarisio Private Sale to the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Frank Huang.
Remembering Paul Childs (1947 – 2024)
Jason PriceThis weekend we lost a friend, a colleague, an authority on old French bows and a pioneer in the field of bow expertise. Paul Childs passed away on Saturday, September 21. He was 77 years old.
The electric violins of Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc PontyIn our 25 year history we have only ever sold one electric violin, a Yamaha that belonged to Isaac Stern. This autumn, we will shatter that record and sell the collection of electric violins belonging to the preeminent jazz violinist, Jean-Luc Ponty. An early pioneer of both electric and jazz violin, Ponty’s impact on progressive jazz helped create a new genre for violin players worldwide. Recording dozens of albums over the course of his decades-long career, Ponty established himself as one of Jazz’s great artists, performing alongside Frank Zappa, George Duke, Masahiko Satoh, Stephane Grappelli, Nigel Kennedy, Sir Elton John… among many others. Written by Ponty himself, this week’s Carteggio tells the history of the artist’s instruments, including his iconic blue violin.
