Antonio & Girolamo Amati, Cremona, 1620
Viola: 40871
Label dated 1620, but probably not original.
Back: One-piece
Length of back: 41.5 cm
Upper bouts: 19.2 cm
Middle bouts: 12.7 cm
Lower bouts: 24.2 cm
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Notes:
"A great Amati viola, an uncut Amati viola -- an early uncut contralto Amati viola, lies quietly in a cheap plastic case in the storeroom of a provincial Italian city....But the 'Messiah' this is not: there are several cracks in the table and unsightly ones on the back and ribs. It has obviously been used, but it appears to have been almost untouched for the last 200 years, and the varnish is magnificent...The Galleria is unable to trace any documentation concerning its provenance or acquisition, and the only evidence is a repair label of Jacob Steininger of Mainz, dated 1795. The Amati label, dated 1620, has to be viewed with skepticism. It is suspiciously clean despite being in close proximity to the crudely fixed crack which runs three-quarters of the length of the back."Uncut Diamond, John Dilworth, The Strad, June, 2001, London
Provenance
| in 1937 | Galeria Estense |
| ... | ... |
| in 2001 | Current owner |
References
L'Esposizione di Liuteria Antica a Cremona nel 1937, Comitato Stradivariano, Cremona (illustrated)- The Strad, June, 2001, Orpheus, London (illustrated)
- the Amatis' DNA: A Dynasty of Stringed Instrument Makers in Cremona, Fausto Cacciatori, Bruce Carlson & Carlo Chiesa, Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari Cremona, Cremona (illustrated)
- The Strad, June, 2001, John Dilworth, Orpheus, London (illustrated)