Johannes (Hans) Michael Weisshaar
Violin maker
(1916 – 1991)
Johannes (Hans) Michael Weisshaar studied at the Mittenwald School. He subsequently pursued acoustics at Basle University. He worked in Switzerland, in Holland for Stiiber, and also in Germany before emigrating to the USA in 1937. In New York, he worked for Emil Herrmann alongside Simone Sacconi, and in the 1940s, he was employed by William Lewis and Kagan & Gaines in Chicago. He established his own business in Los Angeles in 1947, moving to Larchmont Boulevard, Hollywood in 1965, a venture that continued under the management of his assistant Margaret Shipman, and from 2004 by G. Eittinger. He co-authored Violin restoration: A Manual for Violin Makers (Weisshaar & Shipman 1988) with M. Shipman. A celebrated restorer of fine instruments, he notably restored the Stradivari 1732 'Red Diamond' violin and the 1713 'Bass of Spain' cello. He also crafted approximately 50 instruments based on classical Italian models.
Price History
- The auction record for this maker is $3,740 in May 1993, for a violin.
- 1 auction price results.
View all auction prices for Johannes (Hans) Michael Weisshaar
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