Andrea Amati, Cremona, c. 1564, the 'Charles IX'
Viola: 40099
Label not original. "Andrea Amadi in Cremona M. D. L. xxiiij." (1574).
Large tenor viola, with Charles IX decoration
Back: Two-piece of small-figured maple, bearing the royal insignia and motto
Top: of pine of varying grain
Scroll: original
Varnish: Golden-brown
Length of back: 46.92 cm
Upper bouts: 22.5 cm
Middle bouts: 15.1 cm
Lower bouts: 26.9 cm
There are 6 additional images in the archive which are not available publicly. Please contact us for more information.
Notes:
One of the set of instruments made for Charles IX.The Hill Collection of Musical Instruments, David D. Boyden, The Hill Collection of Musical Instruments, London
"This very well-preserved viola, in which more of the pattern of the decoration on the back may be seen than in almost any others of the set, is the only one of the violas, all originally of tenor size, to retain its initial dimensions. . ."
The surviving instruments of Andrea Amati, Laurence C. Witten II, Early Music
Provenance
| until 1574 | King Charles IX of France |
| ... | ... |
| from 1864 | Schubert |
| until 1921 | Joseph Vedral |
| 1921-1939 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1939 | Ashmolean Museum, Hill Collection, University of Oxford |
Certificates & Documents
- Dendrochronology report: John C. Topham, Surrey Dating the youngest tree ring to 1500; the rings match the wood used for a 1672 Stainer violin (ID=19) and the 1564 "Charles IX" Amati violin (ID=98).
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
A Genealogy of the Amati Family of Violin Makers: 1500-1740, Daniel Draley, The Maecenas Press, Iowa City (illustrated)- Andrea Amati Opera omnia: Les Violons du Roi, Fausto Cacciatori, editor, Consorzo Liutai Antonio Stradivari, Cremona (illustrated)
- Masterpieces of Italian Violin Making, David Rattray, Outline Press, London (illustrated)
- Musical Instruments in the Ashmolean Museum: The Complete Collection, John Milnes, editor, Oxford Musical Instrument Publishing, Oxford (illustrated)
- Stringed Instruments: Viols, Violins, Citterns, and Guitars in the Ashmolean Museum, Harvey S. Whistler, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (illustrated)
- The Hill Collection of Musical Instruments, David D. Boyden, Oxford University Press, London (illustrated)
- The History of Violin Playing from its origins to 1761, David D. Boyden, Oxford University Press, London (illustrated)
- The Jacques Français Rare Violins, Inc. Photographic Archive and Business Records, 1844-1998, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (illustrated)
- Early Music, Laurence C. Witten II, October, 1982
- Journal of the Violin Society of America, Vol. IX, No. 3, Daniel Draley, The Queens College Press, Flushing, NY (illustrated)
- Viols, Violins and Virginals, Jennifer A. Charlton, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (illustrated)