Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri 'del Gesù', Cremona, 1741, the 'Kochánski'
Violin: 42807
Back: One-piece, a mirror image of the Ysaÿe of 1740
Top: Unmatched pieces, the treble side being fine-grained from the same log as the "Vieuxtemps," and the bass side being wide-grained from the same log as the belly of the "Ysaÿe"
Length of back: 35.15 cm
Upper bouts: 16.6 cm
Middle bouts: 11.1 cm
Lower bouts: 20.6 cm
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Notes:
"The Kochanski is considered to be one of the great del Gesù's. It is from Guarneri's last and perhaps greatest period, 1740 - 1744. The maple back is a mirror image of the "Ysaye" from the year before. The wood of the top is cut from the same log as that of the "Vieuxtemps" del Gesù. The bass side exhibits a heavy, broad grain, while the treble side is of much finer-grained wood."Provenance
| in 1880 | Enthoven |
| ... | ... |
| in 1907 | Charles Davis |
| c. 1912-1917 | Richard Davis |
| in 1917 | Sold by W. E. Hill & Sons |
| 1917-1925 | Richard Bennett |
| in 1927 | Sold by W. E. Hill & Sons |
| 1927-1934 | Paul Kochánski |
| until 1958 | Rosenberg |
| 1958-2009 | Aaron Rosand |
| from 2009 and in 2013 | Current owner |
Known players
Aaron Rosand, Paul Kochánski
Certificates & Documents
- Dendrochronology report: Peter Klein, Hamburg (1998) Dating the youngest tree ring to 1737; bass side matches both sides of the 1741 "Vieuxtemps" (ID=433).
Letter: Arthur Phillips Hill, London (1959)- Dendrochronology report: Peter Klein, Hamburg Dating the youngest tree ring to 1737.
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
36 Famous Italian Violins, Alex Wasinski, Herman Gordon, New York (illustrated)- The Strad, October, 1994, Stewart Pollens, Orpheus, London (illustrated)
- Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesú (2 volumes), Carlos Chiesa, John Dilworth, Roger Graham Hargrave, Stewart Pollens, Duane Rosengard & Eric Wen, Peter Biddulph, London (illustrated)
- Italian Violin Makers (1964), Karel Jalovec, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1964 (illustrated)
- Kochanski Buys $40,000 Guarnerius, April 19, 1928
Kochanski del Gesu- Meister Italienischer Geigenbaukunst (8th Edition), Hamma & Co., Florian Noetzel Verlag, Wilhelmshaven (illustrated)
- Ole Bull 2010: Guarneri del Gesu Collection, John Dilworth, Bergen (illustrated)
- Taxe der Streichinstrumente (6th edition), Albert Fuchs, Musikverlag Friedrich Hofmeister, Frankfurt am Main (illustrated)
- The Strad, October, 1994, John Dilworth, Orpheus, London (illustrated)
- The Late Cremonese Violin Makers, Dmitry Gindin, Editioni Novecento, Cremona (illustrated)
- The Violin Masterpieces of Guarneri del Gesù - Exhibition, Peter Biddulph, Peter Biddulph, London (illustrated)