Can you Identify This Scribble?

[Lundberg]

Found in ebay violin--"RARE Antique 1600 Violin Extremely Unique!!""

Photo attached.

I am not in the market for this violin, but thought it would be a fun thing for members to puzzle with.

[Brad Dorsey]

It's close to standard Stainer label wording: "Jacobus Stainer Absam Prope Oenipontum 16??"

Can anyone provide a translation of "Prope Oenipontum?"

[Singingmaple]

quote:

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Originally posted by:

Brad_Dorsey

Can anyone provide a translation of "Prope Oenipontum?"

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I believe it is "made near Oenipontus" (Latin for Innsbruck)

[Michael_Molnar]

The date may be 1663 - if that makes historical sense.

[jbgilm]

I'm pretty sure the first line reads "One ring to rule them all," but I can't make out the rest.

[Ron1]

Looks like it was written through the f-hole. I would think someone of Stainer's caliber; a perfectionist/artist, would be more exacting too, in labeling their instruments.

[miles]

quote:

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Originally posted by:

Ron1

Looks like it was written through the f-hole. I would think someone of Stainer's caliber; a perfectionist/artist, would be more exacting too, in labeling their instruments.

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Maybe it was intended to make believe it was indeed authentic? I would imagine that whoever that person is should be able to open the top and inscribed insteading writing through the f-hole.

[guta]

RE - the word "phony": "I cannot define it, but I know it when I see it."

(quote from a Supreme Court Justice regarding pornography, on a recent thread).

Best, Larry.

[Singingmaple]

[crazy jane]

I see "Bergonzi" (--but it is like looking for shapes in clouds or interpreting Rorschach inkblots!)

J.

[miles]

The Jay's label really shames the old one! Ron's hypothesis might very well be the fact.

I just came across another violin with a scribbled label. My question is:

How does the label get so direct and yet the rest of the violin looks so clean inside out?

dirty label

[bean_fidhleir]

quote:

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Originally posted by:

Ron1

Looks like it was written through the f-hole. I would think someone of Stainer's caliber; a perfectionist/artist, would be more exacting too, in labeling their instruments.

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Well, if the viola da gamba label in singingmaple's post is real, then Stainer had got classical penmanship training somewhere. And anybody who'd spend that much time practicing would have taken the top back off rather than do something so sloppy as that scribble in Lundberg's post.

[Singingmaple]

The label in the picture I showed is said to be authentic and the Instrument has been age dated to be accurate. I can't say it was written by Stainer as I wasn't there when it was written.

The one pictured on ebay looks to be a copy, as does the violin.

[bean_fidhleir]

quote:

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Originally posted by:

Singingmaple

The label in the picture I showed is said to be authentic and the Instrument has been age dated to be accurate. I can't say it was written by Stainer as I wasn't there when it was written.

The one pictured on ebay looks to be a copy, as does the violin.

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The only reason I say "if" is that the hand shown wasn't the norm in German-speaking areas. That's a classical-Italian hand. It found a home in England ( ), but in German-speaking countries they used very different letterforms ( http://www.genealogia.fi/faq/tyyli7.gif ). Note that the German letterforms remained basically unchanged across Stainer's whole life and beyond, and that even the careful English writing has many "funny-looking" non-classical forms where the writer slipped and used the more common letterforms of the time.

I find it fascinating. If that label was really written by Stainer, it suggests that he did indeed learn his craft in Italy, and learned the classical handwriting at the same time, whether because that's where he learned to read and write in the first place, or because he needed a legible hand for business.

[Singingmaple]

LOL... Item pulled by Ebay. I wonder if they got caught Shill bidding.