Shelbow

Sunrise auction is up https://www.sunrise-auction.com/auction_list.php?aid=1420428088

In some cases if an auctioneer is unsure about an attribution they will be deliberately cautious in regards to what they title the lot and also the estimate they provide. I feel this is the sensible and honest thing to do. Amati are quite neutral in this regard and they let the potential buyer work it out for themselves. Some other auction houses are quite keen to present Mutton as Lamb. It doesn't necessarily mean the low estimate items are worthless, more that it's a highly speculative lot and you need to do your research. In regards to lot 124, the auctioneer is simply stating it is a violin labelled Francesco Mantegazza, nothing more than that. The higher estimate could be a request from the consignee or a belief of the auctioneer that regardless of attribution this is a higher quality of instrument and therefore deserving of a higher estimate. If people want to believe it is a Mantegazza based on a label, then that is up to them. The sensible thing would be to do some research, look at the construction / style etc etc all the usual bits and make your own decision based on that. @Yogic I plan to view this auction in person for my YT channel. If you want videos of any of the instruments just let me know.

I would agree with George that this is a collector in the loosest sense of the word (much like myself), who probably just picked stuff up here and there if the price was good. Ultimately if you pick up enough things over a long period of time some might be half decent.

I can't read the stamp very well, is this bow stamped twice as that is what the listing is suggesting.

As this is a live auction lot, this thread has been moved to the Auction Scroll.

Thanks Martin I appreciate the information. This is inline with what I thought. I think 20% is reasonable, but I understand why this is a concern for some. Depending on the auction house (or your relationship with them) you might have to pay 10-20% sellers commission anyway, so people should also bear this in mind as you have said. I also agree with yourself and deans that certain instruments have the potential to really blow up at auction under the right circumstances. I guess people need to make the decision based on the circumstances. The lure of quick cash from an auction is tempting for many.

What's the average commision from retail, 20-30%? Just curious.

Amati now up https://app.amati.com/en/auction/1094-four-decades-of-instrument-collecting-part-1

OK so you might just have to bear in mind that you would have to pay this fee, insurance and possibly some other charges relating to them having held it for you before they let you take it away.

Hi Paul, I can't comment on the dealer situation, but assuming that it is a genuine Cuypers and you want to sell it quickly at auction then you should contact some violin/ musical instrument specialist auctions. Tarisio https://tarisio.com/ Ingles and Hayday https://ingleshayday.com/ Bromptons https://www.bromptons.co/ Amati https://amati.com/ Did you pay the shop for the restoration or are they looking to get the money back via the sale? Regards, Shelbow

A small update. Someone has come forward to say that they own a cello that was sold to them in the 80's and attributed to H. Woodney of Manchester. It supposdely has the same stamp as the violin, but I have not seen any pictures of the instrument yet to confirm this. I hope to have additional information at some point in the future.

Do you mean to say that you are not familiar with the ancient square violins of Shangri-La?

@Stapleton79 Well from what we can see it looks pretty bonkers shape wise, but unfortunately you have provided some really poor photographs. Without betters ones it will be difficult to help.

Two vichy catalogues now up (FRANCE) Vichy - September 28th (2022) - Musical Instruments - https://www.interencheres.com/meubles-objets-art/vente-en-live-a-14-h-lutherie-detude-314117/ (FRANCE) Vichy - September 29th (2022) - Musical Instruments - https://www.interencheres.com/meubles-objets-art/vente-en-live-a-14-h-lutherie-detude-314120/

New auction (UK) David Lay - September 29th (2022) - Musical Instruments - https://www.davidlay.co.uk/auction/details/mu01-all-things-music/?au=176