martin swan

Absolutely, we sold a Poggi viola about 3 years ago at around $240k and I was aware at the time that the price was quite conservative. This based on a lot of research, conferring with colleagues etc.

How would you define "overpriced"?

These are not the original wings since they take up most of the soundholes. Pretty sure some bodger has tried to make the violin look more interesting or more archaic - perhaps the original wings had come off (there seems to be a very weak grain line in the relevant place which has resulted in cracks in both sides of the top), or perhaps they were removed deliberately.

Tweaking the afterlength is a valid form of experimentation. "Tuning" it for each string according to some system of pitches or otherwise numerological agenda ... not so sure. But also if a violin has a problem of phase cancellation on the D on the A string (a very common issue) there are various ways to approach that. I used to be obsessed by an overly resonant G with the open G resonating when a G was played on the D string. Nowadays I never notice it. So one can also tweak and tune one's perception as to what's a problem and what's a characteristic.

It's quite high arched but principally it has a massive recurve around the c bouts which makes the f-holes lie very upright, and there's a rather fast transition longitudinally. In terms of actual arching height I don't suppose it's any higher than the average Strad.

Tuning the afterstring is probably a waste of time. But the 6/1 ratio on the G string gives a handy rule of thumb for a generally accepted position. I always start with this ratio (so the afterstring on the G sounds on a D two octaves above) but it's just a convenience. Then I would use the afterstring length to control a wolf note or in extremis to make a general modification to the response. I feel that a long afterstring gives a wilder sound, a short one makes the sound a bit tighter, but if the violin needs that sort of overall adjustment then it's probably a bad violin.

The Dom Nicolo viola has one rib that looks like that, the rest not

Short symmetrical blocks ... The mitred rib joints for me are not definitive on the cello. And on the Dom NIcolo (viola) I'm not sure if they are pinched and then filed or mitred then filed, each looks a bit different. The rib joints are not accurate or particularly consistent. While I'm a big believer in cornerblockology, there are some grey areas!

Not sure about that. Early Bologna stuff is pretty rough and ready - I have a Dom Nicolo Amati here which has very similar inner work ... You're such a tease!!

Without commenting on the origins of the cello, the inscription (such as it is) seems more likely to refer to a Michael Angelo Garani who was active in Bologna in 1704 than to a Giuseppe S(c)avani who was active in Carpi near Modena in 1809 ... But like Blank Face I can't really imagine this inscription is original since even minor makers at this time had their own labels. So either it's a sort of fantasy inscription or it's helpful reminder of what was once on a label ... generally these kinds of inscriptions are speculative. I wonder if Peter thinks this top would dendro? It's in a few sections and some have very wide and wild grain but I would think it was worth a shot ..

I'm baffled by this. Isn't it exactly what the OP asked for? I don't think it's either pompous or pretentious. Whatever the divide is between a self-taught novice and an experienced and respected maker, I think Wood Butcher gave a good analysis,

Absolutely i the joint is uninterrupted, and the gran is clearly different either side of the joint. The back has been messed around with and polished up so the joint is marginally less visible.

Sorry typo - I meant Bononis - "of Bologna" in Latin. Agree about the inscription - I think it may well be a later "attribution"

Love the top with its crazy joins ... Could the name bear some relation to Michaelangelo Garani, perhaps spelt Angelo Michele di Garanis? I don't know this maker but he was working at this time in Bologna and the cello doesn't look a million miles from Giovanni Tononi. I also see Bononia ie. Bologna but I am treading (boldly) in Peter's footsteps ...

As a point of order, on Maestronet people who open discussions don't close them, that's left to the moderators. Maestronet is a valuable archive, and if you don't want expert (or non-expert) comment to be public and to be archived, it's best not to post here at all.