FRIEDRICH AUGUST GLASS II ANTONIUS STRADIVARIUS 4/4 VIOLIN COPY GERMANY C-1850

Description: Payment | Shipping FRIEDRICH AUGUST GLASS II ANTONIUS STRADIVARIUS 4/4 VIOLIN COPY GERMANY C-1850 Friedrich August Glass II Antonius Stradivarius 4/4 Violin Copy Made In Germany Circa 1850 You are invited to purchase a very fine antique handcrafted German 4/4 violin made by Friedrich August Glass II. This violin, based on the historical pattern of Antonius Stadivarius is slightly modified in the German Tyrolese manner. It has been expertly repaired, reconditioned and updated with several new parts and modern strings (details below) and is ready to be played again and enjoyed by an astute and appreciative buyer. It will be shipped in a vintage hard case as described below. A bow is also included. This violin was made in Germany sometime between the years 1830 and 1860 during the time that Friedrich August Glass II was hand crafting violins in Klingenthal in the German province of Saxony (See brief maker history below). Based on our extensive research, we have been able to authenticate the fact that it was made by this very maker (See below for authentication details) and so it is in a class above commercial trade violins. Based in part on the known characteristics of its maker and on its overall physical condition upon receipt prior to being repaired/refurbished, we can conservatively date this instrument to circa 1850. AUTHENTICATION: This violin bears a hand written label in ink as follows, "Fried Aug Glass Verfertigte nach Antonius Stradivarius Fies Faciebat in Cremora Anno 1740." (See attached image of the label) Astute collectors of antique violins well know that labels within violins are often faked and so are not always authentic or 100% reliable when it comes to accurately defining the actual maker of the instrument or the time of manufacture. However, in this case, of particular significance is the fact that this particular label is hand written (note in particular the presence of the hand drawn ruled lines on the label so that the writing thereon would be correctly aligned) versus a more common mass-produced printed label. Lots of violin labels attributed to F. A. Glass II are most often printed (not hand written) and are associated with much later and much more abundant mass produced trade copies. In addition to the hand written label, another significant identifying feature of an authentic F. A. Glass II violin is the shape of the button at the top of the back (See close-up image of the button). The button in this case is very small, narrow, and highly elliptical in shape very closely resembling the shape of a Gothic arch rather than the much more common larger semi-circular button or Roman arch form found on most violins. The third point of authentication relates to the fact that this violin does NOT have the initials of the maker "F.A.G." or his last name "GLASS" stamped either on a conventionally shaped button or alternately on the back of the violin directly under the heel. Nor does it have the maker's initials or his name stamped inside the corpus or body of the instrument. These stamps, if they were present (and they are NOT), would be a clear sign of commercial output by studio workers and later year descendants of F.A. Glass II or, alternately, of unrelated trade imitators who wished to capitalize on the original F.A. Glass II reputation. Therefore, based on these facts, we can conclude with a reasonable degree of certainty that this violin is an authentic pre-commercial piece by F. A. Glass II. It is not a common trade violin, but an original master luthier production. Thus, in the modern vernacular, it appears to be "the real deal." MEASUREMENTS: * Length Overall (LoA): 23" * Length of the body (LoB): 14" * Rib Height: 1 1/8" * Max Width of Upper Bout: 6 3/8" * Avg. Width at Waist or C-Bout: 4 1/4" * Max Width of Lower Bout: 8" GENERAL CONSTRUCTION: * Two part spruce top with very tight grain rings, continuous over the length of the body. The top plate has a relatively high arch. * Two part flamed Maple back, slight vertical rise in grain pattern towards middle on both sides up to the top. The back is cleated inside evidently by the original maker (see image). * Ribs of flamed Maple to match back. * Original varnish is Walnut Brown over a golden ground with soft aged patina. * Well carved scroll with attention to detail, wide horizontal spread of volute. * F-holes are thin and elegant * All four corners blocked on inside with original willow linings intact. * Heel is well mounted and all seems are right and tight. NATURE OF REPAIRS & REFIT: This antique violin was received in relatively poor, dirty, but repairable condition and with with lots of physical evidence that it was once played quite a lot in the past (See BEFORE RESTORATION composite image). Upon our receipt of this violin, the entire instrument was cleaned of residual rosin, dust, dirt and grime using tap water and, in some cases, mineral spirits, on a soft rag, but avoiding loss of the original varnish. All exterior surfaces were wet sanded using 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Walnut touchup varnish was applied to all repaired cracks and wear areas (see below) in the top and sides and a final coat of clear touchup varnish was applied to all exterior surfaces (except the neck) followed by a coat of French Polish to protect the instrument. The top plate was removed and all interior accumulated "dust of the ages" was removed. Several cracks in the top plate were glued using Hide Glue and cleated on the inside to stabilize them (See accompanying image of inside of repaired top plate that shows crack repairs and cleats). All cleats were trimmed to a low profile. All old glue residue was removed from the inside edges of the top plate and top of the ribs and blocks. The top plate was reset and glued to the bottom using Hide Glue. All age cracks in the top plate have now been fully stabilized. The original Ebony fingerboard was wet sanded with 600 grit & 800 grit sandpaper followed by 1500 grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface and checked with a standard template to match the proper cross-section profile. The original nut and saddle were glued back onto the violin and a new replacement tail pin was added. A new Ebony Chin rest and a new Ebony Saddle were added. The pegbox was fitted with new Wittner Finetune geared Pegs (Made in Germany). These geared pegs negate the need for fine tuners on the tailpiece as they are permanently set within the pegbox (no slippage) and have an 8:1 gear ratio, making for very precise tuning. Only the central knurled spool segment of the peg rotates. So once the Wittner pegs are set, they are not designed to be adjusted or removed from the pegbox. (Please see the Wittner website for more details) Finally the violin was fitted with high-end Evah Pirazzi Medium Strings (Made in Germany) using the original German Aubert A' Mirecourt bridge. A new soundpost was installed and adjusted for proper position and best tonal performance. All of the aforementioned repairs and more modern upgrades in the pegs, chin rest, tailpiece and strings have resulted in a fully restored and functional antique violin from circa 1850, but with some modern enhancements so the violin performs at its best with modern synthetic strings. Thus, an antique instrument that could have easily been lost to time has been reborn to live a second life in the present. SOUND AND PLAYABILITY: The tone of this violin is very warm in the lower registers and clear and precise in the high end. It has a lot of warmth and fluidity, is full and deep, quite powerful and rich and has a quick response. Hopefully its new owner will find it to be lively, open and eminently playable in any genre or venue. Due to its power and projection it will really stand out in a concert setting. HARD CASE: This violin will be shipped in a vintage hard case that was received with the violin itself (See composite image). We were unable to determine if this case was original to the violin. I suspect it is most likely from circa 1900. It had some exterior damage, which we have since repaired to a limited degree, and the hardware also has signs of rust. Nevertheless, it will be protective of the refurbished violin for shipping purposes. The violin will be very carefully packed so as to prevent any movement while in transit to its new owner. After receipt of the violin, its new owner may elect to invest in a new case as this fine antique instrument certainly deserves that. THE BOW: Included with the violin is a generic (unmarked as to maker or origin) bow in decent playable condition. BRIEF HISTORY OF FRIEDRICH AUGUST GLASS I AND F.A. GLASS II, VIOLIN MAKERS: Based in part on information found in the publication entitled, "Universal Dictionary of Violin and Bow Makers" by William Henley, Friedrich August Glass I, was working as a violin maker at Klingenthal, Germany in 1790. Klingenthal was a town in the Vogtland region of Germany in the free state of Saxony at the southeastern part of Germany directly on the border with Czechlosavakia (now known as the Czech Republic). His son, Friedrich August Glass II, who was named directly after his father, worked at this same location between the years 1830 to 1860. The workmanship of both members of this father and son team of luthiers is deemed by many to be quite good and somewhat above the "commercial" class of violins that came out of this region of Germany. F.A. Glass II was especially bent on improving the often imperfect types of violins issuing from Saxonian hands. He followed a Stradivarius model, but slightly modified in the German Tyrolese manner. In fact, at one point in his career, he received a gold medal in London for excellent work in violin making. He also produced some higher arched violins influenced by Jacob Stainer models. PURCHASE: The Montana Logger is very pleased to offer this F.A. Glass II violin for a very reasonable buy-it-now price. We will also entertain reasonable offers for this refurbished antique violin that dates from the middle part of the 19th Century. PAYMENT: Payment is due within 3 days of purchase. Prompt payment is always very much appreciated. 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Price: 1450 USD

Location: Hamilton, Montana

End Time: 2024-12-08T18:22:03.000Z

Shipping Cost: 45 USD