Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1736, the 'Muntz'
Violin: 40062
Labeled, ". . . D'Anni 92."
Back: Two-piece
Length of back: 35.6 cm
Upper bouts: 16.2 cm
Lower bouts: 20.3 cm
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Notes:
The label in this instrument bears an inscription, " 92 years old " , handwritten by Stradivari himself. It is one of the last few works of masterpiece ever produced. The condition of this violin is exceptional and its tonal quality has a first class reputation. This instrument takes its name from the ownership by a famous collector, H.M.Muntz of Birmingham in the late 1800s.Nippon Music Foundation: Muntz Stradivari
The Hills describe this instrument as pathetically showing the master's failing craftsmanship due to his advanced age.
Antonio Stradivarius: His Life & Work, W. Henry, Arthur F. & Alfred E. Hill, W. Henry, Arthur F. & Alfred E. Hill, Antonio Stradivari: His Life & Work (1644-1737), London
Count Cozio's notes: "Violin made by Antonio Stradivari in 1736 "92 years old" has been added by the maker. The back is slightly [larger] than a short medium model. Fine work, but not perfect especially in the purfling. Two-piece back, average grain. The two pins [...] bottom side [...] grain [...] foreign [wood] and slightly thicker than other larger violins. The top is intact, with wide even grain. Its voice is quite strong and good. Light yellow-reddish varnish. [It is worth] at least 60 luigi." (p. 228)
Memoirs of a Violin Collector: Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue, Memoirs of a Violin Collector: Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue, Baltimore
Count cozio's Notes, June 1, 1816: "Measurements of my violin made by Antonio Stradivari. Not too large a model. Yellowish varnish. Two-piece back, beautiful grain. Intact, with label [written] in 1736; there is the reference to 92 years (see folio 19). This is the strongest among ten other [violins] made by this maker taken in Cremona from Antonio's grandson in 1775. [Measurements] taken by the compass including the outline. . . ." (p. 242)
Memoirs of a Violin Collector: Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue, Memoirs of a Violin Collector: Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue, Baltimore
Provenance
| 1737-1743 | Francesco Stradivari |
| 1743-1775 | Paolo Stradivari |
| ... | ... |
| from 1775 and in 1816 | Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue |
| until 1831 | Luigi Tarisio |
| 1831-1832 | Charles François Gand |
| 1832-1862 | Count d'Amiens |
| 1862-1867 | Charles Willemotte |
| from 1867 | Minard de Marsinielliers |
| 1874-1886 | George Henri Marc Muntz |
| 1886-1888 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| 1888-1889 | Lord Wilton |
| 1889-1892 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1892 | Alfred Sassoon |
| in 1902 | Higgins |
| ... | ... |
| 1912-1913 | Robert Augustus Bower |
| 1913-1949 | Dr. Georg Talbot |
| 1949-1957 | Martin Katahn |
| 1957-1968 | Dr. Ephraim P. Engleman |
| ... | ... |
| from 1972 and in 1987 | Howard Gottlieb |
| ... | ... |
| from 1997 and in 2003 | Nippon Music Foundation |
Known players
Anne Akiko Meyers, Judith Ingolffsson
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: Jacques Français, New York, NY (1972) #937.- Certificate: Hamma & Co., Stuttgart
- Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London
- Certificate: Rembert Wurlitzer Inc., New York, NY
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
Antonio Stradivari and His Instruments, William Henley, Amati Publishing, Ltd., Sussex, 1961 (illustrated)- Antonio Stradivari: His Life & Work (1644-1737), W. Henry, Arthur F. & Alfred E. Hill, William E. Hill & Sons, London, 1902
- Capolavori di Antonio Stradivari, Charles Beare, Arnoldo Mondadori S.p.A., Milan (illustrated)
- Cremona 1730-1750: the Olympus of Violin Making, Christopher Reuning, editor, Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari, Cremona (illustrated)
- How Many Strads? (1999 edition), Doring, Bein & Fushi, Bein & Fushi, Chicago, 1999 (illustrated)
- Violins & Violinists, February, 1943, Ernest N. Doring, William Lewis & Son, Chicago (illustrated)
- Italian Violin Makers (1964), Karel Jalovec, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1964 (illustrated)
- L'Esposizione di Liuteria Antica a Cremona nel 1937, Comitato Stradivariano, Cremona (illustrated)
- Meisterwerke Italienischer Geigenbaukunst, Fridolin Hamma, Hamma & Co., Stuttgart (illustrated)
- Memoirs of a Violin Collector: Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue, Brandon Frazier, Baltimore
- Nippon Music Foundation: Muntz Stradivari
- Private Archives - 10842
- The Jacques Français Rare Violins, Inc. Photographic Archive and Business Records, 1844-1998, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Box 43 (illustrated)
- The Miracle Makers, Bein & Fushi, Chicago (illustrated)
- Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari 1644-1737, Herbert K. Goodkind, Larchmont, NY (illustrated)