Violin
Date1600-1750 ca.
Place MadeFrance, Europe
Place MadeItaly, Europe
SignedPrinted on large, later paper label: Antonius, & Hieronymous Fr. Amati / Cremonen Andrӕ fil F. 1614DescriptionThis violin was originally a small instrument that has been expanded into a standard full size by adding extra edging and a second purfling strip along the edge. Additionally, the ribs were rebent with added wood at the neck and endpin position. Top: two-piece, quarter-cut spruce: medium grain; two pins through top into top block; two pins through top into bottom block
Back: one-piece, quarter-cut maple: medium curl descening from bass to treble
Ribs: quarter-cut maple: prominent narrow curl; rib graft at endpin position
Head: prominent, narrow curl
Neck: medium curl, grafted to head
Edging: new edging and second layer of purfling added to expand dimensions of violin to full size
Purfling: double; later
Varnish: medium orange-brown
Fingerboard: ebony; later
Nut: ebony
Pegs: four rosewood; later
Saddle: ebony; thin; low height
F-holes: narrow, curved wings; large, rounded notches
Linings: spruce
Corner blocks: spcure
Top block: spruce; nail hole at center
Bottom block: spruce
DimensionsTotal violin length: 583 mm
Back length: 353 mm
Upper bout width: 166 mm
Center bout width: 110 mm
Lower bout width: 204 mm
Upper rib height: 26-27 mm
Center rib height: 26-27 mm
Lower rib height: 26-27 mm
Stop length: 190 mm
Vibrating string length: 323 mm
Neck length (bottom of nut to ribs): 131 mm
ProvenanceGiven to Laurence Witten as a gift by Charles Beare, London, in 1975.
Purchased by the National Music Museum from Laurence Witten family, New Haven, Connecticut, 1984.
Published ReferencesLaurence C. Witten II, “The Surviving Instruments of Andrea Amati,” Early Music, Vol. 10, No. 4 (October 1982), p. 489.
Greg Dean Petersen, The Location of the Bridge in the Early Baroque Italian Violin: A Visual Study of Selected Instruments and Paintings, MM thesis, Brigham Young
University, 1995.
Greg Dean Petersen, "Bridge location on the early Italian violin," Early Music 35, No. 1 (February 2007), pp. 49-64.
Credit LineWitten-Rawlins Collection, 1984
Object number03426
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