Domenico Montagnana, Venice, 1729
Cello: 42859
Back: Two-piece
Length of back: 74.95 cm
Upper bouts: 38.0
Middle bouts: 27.0
Lower bouts: 45.5
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Notes:
The head of this instrument was removed by Tignani and placed on another instrument which he thought was also by Montagnana, but turned out be actually by Matteo Gofriller. Alfred Hill purchased the Gofriller from Tignani's widow and, by a lucky chance, found the original Gofriller head, which he returned to the instrument. The Montagnana head remained in his drawers for some 35 years until he was able to track down the instrument and restore it to its original form.Domenico Montagnana of Venice, Ernest N. Doring, Violins & Violinists, April, 1947, Chicago
Provenance
| Tignani | |
| until 1936 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| 1936-1944 | Curtis Institute of Music |
| 1944-c. 1970 | Janos Scholz |
| c. 1971-c. 1972 | Anonymous |
| in 1973 | Sold by Jacques Français |
| from 1973 | Current owner |
Known players
Ralph Kirshbaum
Certificates & Documents
Letter: Alfred E. Hill, London (1936) "..possessed of an exceptionally fine tone, in fact, I know of none superior to it!"
Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London
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
- Bongartz advertisement
Catalogue of the Special Exhibition at South Kensington, England, Carl Engel, South Kensington Museum, London (illustrated)- Violins & Violinists, April, 1947, Ernest N. Doring, William Lewis & Son, Chicago (illustrated)
- Private Archives - 10746
- Private Archives - 10842
- The Jacques Français Rare Violins, Inc. Photographic Archive and Business Records, 1844-1998, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (illustrated)