Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1709, the 'Greffuhle'
Violin: 40207
Bearing its original label, "Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis / Faciebat Anno 1709."
Back: One-piece with flames running diagonally across in the corner
Top: of narrow grain at the joint, broadening towards the flanks
Scroll: of wood matching back
Ribs: of wood matching back
Varnish: Brownish-orange
Length of back: 35.6 cm
Upper bouts: 16.75 cm
Middle bouts: 10.8 cm
Lower bouts: 20.75 cm
There are 9 additional images in the archive which are not available publicly. Please contact us for more information.
Notes:
Believed to be one of the three decorated violins sold to the Spanish Court in 1775 by the Priest Brambilla.The 1709 Greffuhle Stradivari, Harold P. Geerdes, The Strad, February, 1978, London
"The Design for the inlay in the ribs was Stradivari's own work and the original drawings by him for the inlay in the Greffuhle violin are still extant. They were first preserved in the Dalla Valle Collection and are now located in the Stradivari Museum at Cremona."
Sotheby's Musical Instruments Auction Catalog, April 5, 1977, New York, Sotheby's, Sotheby Parke Bernet Musical Instruments Auction Catalog, April 5, 1977, New York, New York
"We will now examine the instrument itself by first examining its original label date 1709. Unfortunately, this label has been altered in the course of the life of the instrument, and the original date has been cut out very carefully and replaced by a new cut-out, most likely to make it fit with the one of 1709 of the two violins of the Concerto in Madrid, with these dates having themselves been altered by Paolo Stradivari most likely. As you will see later, we would place the correct date as 1698."
The Dr. Herbert Axelrod Quartet, Jacques Français, The Dr. Herbert Axelrod Stradivari Quartet, New York
Provenance
| in 1840 | Dr Camidge |
| ... | ... |
| in 1870 and until 1878 | Reverend John Blow |
| ... | ... |
| from 1878 | John Adam |
| in 1880 and until 1882 | David Laurie |
| in 1882 | Gand & Bernardel, Freres |
| 1882-1910 | Vicomte de Greffuhle |
| in 1910 | Sold by Caressa & Français |
| in 1910 | Sold by Hamma & Co. |
| 1913-1923 | Valenti Walther |
| 1923-1962 | Hug & Co. |
| 1962-1976 | Carl E. Tannewitz |
| in 1977 | Sold by Sotheby Parke Bernet |
| in 1977 | Sold by Jacques Français |
| 1977-1997 | Dr Herbert R. Axelrod |
| from 1997 | Smithsonian Institution Museum |
Known players
Eugene Léner
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: Hug & Co., Zurich (1962)
Letter: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1960) To Hug & Co.- Certificate: Hamma & Co., Stuttgart (1960)
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
Alte Violinen, Violen & Celli, Hug & Co., Zurich (illustrated)- Antonio Stradivari: l'estetica sublime, Maurizio Villa, Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari, Cremona (illustrated)
- Antonio Stradivari: His Life & Work (1644-1737), W. Henry, Arthur F. & Alfred E. Hill, William E. Hill & Sons, London, 1902
- Antonius Stradivarius (Volumes I-IV), Jost Thöne, Jan Röhrmann, Alessandra Barabaschi, Jost Thöne Verlag, Cologne, 2010 (illustrated)
- Evelyn & Herbert Axelrod Stringed Instrument Collection, Herbert Axelrod (illustrated)
- Beautiful Italian Violins, Karel Jalovec, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1963 (illustrated)
- Encyclopedia of Violin-Makers, Volume 2, Karel Jalovec, Paul Hamlyn Ltd., London (illustrated)
- Four Centuries of Violin Making: Fine Instruments from the Sotheby's Archive, Sotheby's, Sotheby's, Boston (illustrated)
- Greffuhle Stradivarius, Hamma & Co., Stuttgart (illustrated)
- How Many Strads?, 1999
- Italian Violin Makers (1964), Karel Jalovec, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1964 (illustrated)
- Meisterwerke Italienischer Geigenbaukunst, Fridolin Hamma, Hamma & Co., Stuttgart (illustrated)
- Sotheby Parke Bernet Musical Instruments Auction Catalog, April 5, 1977, New York, Sotheby's, Sotheby's, New York (illustrated)
- Sotheby's Photo Archive
- Stradivari, Stewart Pollens, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2010 (illustrated)
Stradivari Pictures- Stradivarius-Guarnerius del Gesù: Catalogue descriptif de leurs instruments (Facsimile of Gand's notes from 1870-91), Charles-Eugène Gand, Les Amis de la Musique, Spa (illustrated)
- The Strad, February, 1978, Harold P. Geerdes, London (illustrated)
- The decorated instruments of Antonio Stradivari
- The Dr. Herbert Axelrod Stradivari Quartet, Jacques Français, New York (illustrated)
- The Strad, 1924, Towry Piper, London, Nov 1924 (illustrated)
- Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari 1644-1737, Herbert K. Goodkind, Larchmont, NY (illustrated)
- The Way They Play: Book 6, Samuel and Sada Applebaum, Paganinianana Publications, Neptune, NJ (illustrated)
- Violins & Violinists (1969), Franz Farga, Frederick A Prager, New York (illustrated)
- We Love Stradivari, NHK (illustrated)