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Showing results for tags 'milan'.
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I bought a violin at an estate auction and am trying to get it identified & appraised. The violin’s hand-written label reads: Mathias Albani contrada largo da Milano anno (illegible) It also has an adjacent label reading “Milanollo,” and I can make out the words 24 Rue and Paris. There is some handwriting in this label that I cannot make out. The same luthier also repaired the instrument more than once, signing the instrument A. Blanchette, Montreal (with 1949 in one spot; I’m unable to read the other label but presumably, these repairs occurred on separate occasions.) Unique features: Neck graft, purfling wraps around the corners of the instrument. Neopolitan(?) scroll. I took the instrument to three different luthiers/appraisal experts and got vastly different opinions as to the instrument’s origin, age, and overall value. The first was a young appraiser at a high-end metropolitan shop. She told me that the instrument will cost $5000 in repairs alone, which far exceeds the instrument’s value. She said the instrument is “at least 100-150 years old” and that she believes it is German or Polish or Romanian in origin. The second was a luthier with extensive experience working with Neopolitan violins. He told me that this is “definitely a Neopolitan violin,” made prior to at least 1820, and that with the appropriate repairs, it would be a very decent instrument with great sound (if I’m willing to spend the money on it.) The third is a very young luthier with experience working with old and high-end violins (I was referred to him by my city’s symphony orchestra.) He told me my violin was made in 1800s Germany and is worth 1000-2000 maximum and that repairs would cost about $1000 (not worth it.) For good measure, I also sent photos of the instrument to Tarisio, which valued it at about $5000 but couldn’t estimate a date or place of origin. I’m thinking of taking this on as a restoration project, and given the varied responses (and the money I have already spent on this instrument), obviously I’m more hopeful that Luthier #2 was correct. However, I’m curious to know if anyone has additional input. More information: The previous owner was a multi-millionaire that had an extensive old and high-end violin collection, and he took this particular instrument from California to Montreal (3,000 miles away) for repairs on two separate occasions to see A. Blanchette, who specialized in rare instruments. (Who would make that effort for a garbage violin?) Photos attached: Any experts on Neopolitan violins or Matthias Albani violins, I’d especially appreciate your input. Thanks!!
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In case any one is interested in green violins
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HI All, I'm a fairly new member of the "family". I'd like to make little "overture" before going to the main point, so that maybe this would be a first introduction also for future posts. My Name is Nicola Monzino and I belong to the 8th generation of a family devoted to music business (manufacturer, sales, editions, cultural heritage, distributions, etc.) since the 1750 and that always has been based in the very heart of Milan, Italy, with his shop and workshop. So many well known Luthiers have worked in our workshop, that it's not easy to list them all, but to name some of the most important: the Antoniazzi Family, the Guadagnini brothers, Ambrogio Sironi, Paolo De Barbieri, Severino Riva, Gennaro Marino, Innocente Rottola, Gennaro Fabbricatore, Giovanni Battista Fabbricatore, Erminio Farina, Luigi Galimberti and Luigi Baioni. To whom would like to know a little more, you can take a look at our Foundation "Antonio Carlo Monzino" website and gather some info there (http://www.fondazioneacmonzino.it/en/).%C2'> I've actually just enrolled at the Civica Luthier School of Milan, in order to learn this wonderful and touching work from the basic, since we have lost most of our skills as manufactures, due to the fact that we had stopped all kind of productions in the mid '60. My dream is that all this "past" will not be forgotten and lost in just memories... but could reborn from his ashes, to a new life. I own this to my Grandfather, since it "is" his biggest dream. Anyway, not willing to write down my biography now, I'll be more then glad to answer any kind of questions (if able to...), but I'd like to make you all aware of something that I really fell important. During and for the whole duration of the EXPO2105 event in Milan, supervised by our Foundation, it will take place a side event, named "Arti & Mestieri: Le Mani Sapienti" (Arts & Handcrafts: The Skilled Hands) where luthiers coming from allover Italy and abroad, will be doing their usual jobs and be in direct contact with the visitors, explaining what they are doing and why. There will be also live concerts with ancient instruments, seminars and showcases. This will last for the entire EXPO period, thus 6 months (May 1 to October 31). The place where this event will take place is a big old hall (Sala delle Merlate) in the outstanding Sforzesco Castle, in the very heart of Milan. Please, fell free to watch this preliminary video, that shortly explain what we will do and so... if you plan to be somehow in Milan for the big event, don't miss also this one! http://youtu.be/IclnIQsnFCU Best, Nicola
