Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1721, the 'Kruse, Vormbaum'
Violin: 40613
Bearing its original label.
Back: One-piece cut on the slab, showing a pretty medium figure
Scroll: similar to back
Ribs: quarter-cut showing broader figure
Varnish: Orange-brown
Length of back: 35.6 cm
Upper bouts: 16.65 cm
Middle bouts: 10.7 cm
Lower bouts: 20.6 cm
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Notes:
"The inventory starts with Désiré Beaulieu, a Kreutzer pupil who kept the instrument until his death and directed in his will that proceeds of its sale should be handed to the priest of his parish for distribution to the poor and needy."Kruse Stradivari, Frédéric Chaudière, The Strad, June, 2006, London
"Slab-cut maple from the same tree is to be found on the 'Nightingale' of 1717 [ID=1425], the 'Mylnarski' [ID=1478] and 'Spohr' [ID=1481] of 1718 and the 'Lubbock' of 1725 [ID=1520]. The 'Walter' of 1718 [ID=1479] is actually made from a split of the same piece except that reverse figures tell that it was used inside out. This is an important point since the edges of slab-cut maple archings, which distort more than those from quarter-sawn wood, tend to curl up with age if the centre of the log is towards the ribs, and curl down if the centre is towards the middle of the instrument (see diagram overleaf). Many of the Amatis made with slab-cut maple suffer from deformations and the 'Kruse' is no exception. Stradivari, who was probably well aware of the numerous age-generated cracks on Amati slab-cut ribs, favoured quarter-sawn timber for his. Out of the 54 slab-cut Stradivari violins for which I've been able to account, only two early examples have matching slab ribs."
Kruse Stradivari, Frédéric Chaudière, The Strad, June, 2006, London
Provenance
| Jacques Pierre Joseph Rode | |
| Rudolphe Kreutzer | |
| until 1863 | Désiré Beaulieu |
| Charles François Gand | |
| from 1897 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| Sold by Hamma & Co. | |
| until 1904 | Wilhelm Hermann Hammig |
| 1904-1908 | Johann Kruse |
| 1908-1913 | Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia |
| from 1912 | Willi Seibert |
| in 1913 | Sold by Emil Herrmann, Berlin |
| from 1913 | Robert Augustus Bower |
| Sold by W. E. Hill & Sons | |
| until 1925 | Mrs. Tien Stork |
| from 1925 | Max Adler & family |
| from c. 1930 | Franz von Mendelssohn |
| Sold by Isaac Stern | |
| in 1947 | Sold by William Lewis & Son |
| Dr. Maurice H. Cottle | |
| in 2008 | Current owner |
Known players
Johann Kruse
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: W. H. Hammig & Co., Berlin (1930) Certificate No. 689- Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1920)
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References
Antonio Stradivari - Catalogue of the 2008 Exhibit in Montpelier, Peter Biddulph, Frédéric Chaudière & John Dilworth, Musée Fabre / Actes Sud, Montpelier (illustrated)- Antonio Stradivari: His Life & Work (1644-1737), W. Henry, Arthur F. & Alfred E. Hill, William E. Hill & Sons, London, 1902
- Violins & Violinists, February-March, 1947, Ernest N. Doring, William Lewis & Son, Chicago (illustrated)
- The Strad, June, 2006, Frédéric Chaudière, Newsquest Specialist Media, London (illustrated)
- The Strad, June, 2006, Newsquest Specialist Media, London (illustrated)
- Professor Johann Kruse
- Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari 1644-1737, Herbert K. Goodkind, Larchmont, NY (illustrated)