Notes:

"Of the year 1711 one of the most typical and finely preserved examples is that known as the "Parke," until recently in the possession of Mr., John Adam, formerly owned by William Cramer, Fountaine, Plowden, and other well-known amateurs. Its proportions, as will be noted (see Appendix), are of full dimensions, and, combined with a broad, robust aspect, it worthily portrays this very manly type of Stradivari's work. Its varnish, of a rich orange tint, is beyond criticism, the softness of its texture being especially beautiful."

Antonio Stradivarius: His Life & Work, W. Henry, Arthur F. & Alfred E. Hill, W. Henry, Arthur F. & Alfred E. Hill, Antonio Stradivari: His Life & Work (1644-1737), London

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"Early in the nineteenth century the violin was acquired in Milan by John Parke, a musician, from a noble family who had purchased it direct from Stradivari. One suspects that it was well known in Paris, since many of Honoré Derazey's violins appear to be copies of it. In England it was owned by Richard Hatton and Francois Cramer before successively joining three outstanding collections, those of Fountaine, Goding and Plowden. For a short time it then went to Leopold Auer in St Petersburg, before returning to England and the Croall, Adam, and Knoop collections. W.E. Hill and Sons sold it in 1906 to a home that has since both appreciated and cared for it as it deserves. Apart from an appearance at a Loan Exhibition in the South Kensington Museum (Londra, 1885), the "Parke" has not been seen in public before."

Capolavori di Antonio Stradivari, Charles Beare, Charles Beare, Capolavori di Antonio Stradivari, Milan