Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1706, the 'Corbett'
Violin: 41461
Bearing its original label, "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis faciebat Anno 1706."
Back: One-piece with an irregular medium curl sloping downwards from the right
Top: Pine of fine grain at the center and opening out towards the flanks
Scroll: Almost plain
Ribs: Slightly smaller curl; the initials "W.C." are stamped on the lower left rib just over the bottom block
Varnish: Golden orange
Length of back: 35.5 cm
Upper bouts: 16.8 cm
Middle bouts: 10.95 cm
Lower bouts: 20.8 cm
There are 2 additional images in the archive which are not available publicly. Please contact us for more information.
Notes:
"On his death in 1740, Corbett's instruments were bequeathed to Gresham College, but the College authorities rejected the gift on the ground that there was no room for the instruments at the college. Consequently, the instruments were sold at auction in 1751."The 'Corbett' Strad, The Strad, December, 1970, London
Previously incorrectly associated with Mrs Arthur Kendell Stothert.
Provenance
| 1710-1748 | William Corbett |
| until 1887 | Reverend H. E. Brooke |
| 1887-1888 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1888 | Mr Cheetham |
| Miss Cheetham (Mrs Dremel) | |
| until 1899 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| until 1967 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1968 | Boyd Davie |
| in 1974 | Sold by Sotheby's |
| 1974-1981 | Soren Nordemalm |
| from 1981 | Jacques Français |
| until 1982 | Young-Uck Kim |
| from 1982 | Current owner |
Certificates & Documents
Letter: Charles Beare, London (2008) To Steven Smith. Quotes the Hills as claiming that the instrument had once belonged to an "old baronetcy of the name of Chetwood."
Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1968) "... the head being characteristic of an earlier period of the master's work."- Certificate: Emil Herrmann, New York, New York, NY (1915)
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: 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)- Sotheby's Highly Important Musical Instruments Auction Catalog, June 6, 1974, London, Sotheby's, Sotheby's, London (illustrated)
- The Strad, December, 1970, London (illustrated)
- W. E. Hill & Sons Photographic Archive (illustrated)