Violadamore

I set posts with an "s" setter. My one concession to modernity is that I have the shank of my soundpost setter covered in heat shrink, instead of sewn leather. IMHO, innovation has it's place, but it's mostly in science and engineering, not in the arts and crafts. Every break with craft tradition that lowers the bar for skill, reduces cost, or massively speeds production inevitably produces a sleazier product, and the arts and crafts are ultimately about maximizing beauty and luxury.

The bottom line is that it's a violin made around 1800 in the Musikwinkel area where Saxony and Bohemia have a border, can't be tied to a single maker, and is badly damaged. Don't spend too much on the appraisal.

Your question seems much more serious than my comment was.

I'll grant it was speculation, but not nonsense. The OP fiddle looks "influenced" to me, if nothing else. This contrasts with later violins from the area, which appear more designed to streamline production efficiency.

Yup, I just confirmed that entry. Maybe he sold this one. You can't trust anybody in this business, can you? [Briefly wonders if Stradivari left an unrecorded stock of student rentals..... ] I expected you two clots my learned colleagues would harass me for that post. Whatever.

Thanks for the delightful label. "Cremonalia" sounds like it might be a fun festival to institute. Combine elements of the Saturnalia with a violin competition? [Raises a kylix of wine in salute,] Those examples remind me of the later Markies we've seen that have "STAINER" branded on the back, with a Stradivari label inside.

So perhaps their counterfeiting of their competitors was widespread. ingrained and habitual, even centuries before mass production and spray varnish?

Oh, my! Thanks for the photos. You have a violin here which I find extremely interesting. It appears to me to be a deliberate attempt by a late 18th. to early 19th. Century Saxon/Vogtland maker to intentionally fake a violin by their contemporary, Matthias Thir, of Vienna. A spurious label of Thir is in the violin. You can be certain the violin is not Viennese (as well as not a Stainer) because it's built-on-back (one can find exposed vertical rib seams at the corners) rather than inside mold construction. but other than that, it tries very hard to be what it's not. I also find the amount and variety of later repairs to be quite interesting as well. I'd love to know how it will sound when you can set it up.

Thanks!!

Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not by Tourte. Where on the frog? I only see it on the stick. Needs work, BTW.

British humor at its best, IMHO. Very nicely done.

Welcome to Maestronet! Please read this thread, and apply what it suggests, to provide us with adequate photos to evaluate: https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/333119-how-to-photograph-an-instrument-for-identifcation-purposes/ In case you don't know it yet, you'll have to post 10 times (the mods will approve them once they notice them, none are on right now), before you can post freely.

Welcome to Maestronet!! Please read what @palousian said, because it's all accurate, except that I suspect that the violin was made post-WW II. If your bow is like the one in the photo, you'll need a new cheap one (because the ones that come in sets are seldom worth rehairing), and you'll need to put something in the case to kill insects, because bows get in that condition due to a pest called "bow bugs", which eat the horsehair. Student fiddles like that usually need a few things done to them, decent strings, cutting the bridge (the one they ship with will be a blank, with only the feet fitted), and doing the pegs for roundness and applying "peg dope". I recommend either Pirastro Tonica or Warchal Karneol strings for student fiddles. While strings and bows are available online, getting the bridge and pegs done will require going to a violin shop. Because you should really pick the bow out by playing with it (all violins and bows are different), I'd recommend that you find a good local shop, and do everything at once. Good luck.

Congrats on the scrumptious book. I'll consider this, but remember that there's some national variations in handwriting styles.

If you are a native German speaker, the idiom "aus Louisiana" would become "from Louisiana", in English. To everyone who bought into these scrawled-on fiddles, IMHO, you need "better palaeography skills".