REFERENCE: Identification and Appraisal Threads

[Guy_Gallo]

I'm aggregating some previously posted threads on violin identification.

Some go into great detail on the thought processes used by experts.

Some are quizes -- guess the maker or the country.

Some will be of the "I found this violin what is it" nature.

If you can remember threads of interest, please post links.

---

A few Great Backs

A few more good backs

---

Note: many of the images in these threads were taken from Tarisio and Cozio. They were used with permission. Just wanted to give credit.

[Guy_Gallo]

Identification Game

Identification Game Redux

Strad vs. Del Gesu

Where From

Dutch Violin

[Jacob]

Thanks so much for providing those links - worth their weight in gold (or aged Balkan maple).

[Guy_Gallo]

Identification Thread

[Guy_Gallo]

Okay, here's a photo quiz moderated by Jeffrey back in Dec 2005:

ID the fiddle

[Guy_Gallo]

Three Omobono moderated quizes with a related link to a Betts

New Quiz

Back to fun and games

Ready for more fun and games?

A photo of a Betts

[Option1]

Terrific work falstaff. Thank you!

Neil

[Guy_Gallo]

Discussion of scroll graft

Violin ID

One of mine

ID Quiz (Dec12)

By Pahdah_Hound -- sadly the links to photos are gone:

ID Quiz Dec 15

[Jeffrey Holmes]

Guy... you are awsome!

[Guy_Gallo]

Glad to be of service...

Another thread moderated by Jeffrey. Beware.

A few good backs...

[Guy_Gallo]

Discussion of a particular kind of neck design...

ID Neck/Rib Joint ??

Pahdah_Hound Fiddle

Old Violin ID

[Guy_Gallo]

A few bow related threads:

Started by Iversola. Some nice images of early French models. Some are missing and contributors might want to check if the images can be reloaded:

Bow Tutorial

A trio of French Bows for your delectation

A Quartet of Bows

[Guy_Gallo]

f-hole tutorial

With a link to a thread with a link to a Darnton violin.

[Guy_Gallo]

Recognizing the Masters...

[Guy_Gallo]

Missed this one during the original aggregations

Scroll Tutorial

and a thread about favorite scrolls:

Post images of favorite scrolls

[Joseph Sellers]

Thank you Falstaff, this is a wealth of information, a lot of it fun too.

[Janito]

Falstaff

Thanks for taking the effort to compile previous threads. After your comments on the one I posted, I was toying with the idea of doing this.

In fact, I will post the link to this thread there to improve the cross-referencing.

[Guy_Gallo]

I've done a couple of other REFERENCE threads. If you search for that word in the title you'll find them. One on photography and one on terminology.

[Wesley S. Boyd]

Thank you falstaff. This time I bookmarked the page so I don't ask for it 8 months from now. You are appreciated.

[Guest]

You are "The Man" falstaff !!!

Thanks much !

E.

[Guy_Gallo]

All of the links in this thread have been broken by the update to the new forum software.

Groan.

If there is no fix forthcoming I will ... gradually ... find a way to fix the links.

[Michael_Molnar]

All of the links in this thread have been broken by the update to the new forum software.

Groan.

If there is no fix forthcoming I will ... gradually ... find a way to fix the links.

Sorry, Guy, to see all of your links get destroyed. All programmers know that if it works you don't fix it. And as for upgrades to software, my experience is that they are rarely worth the trouble they cause.

Double groan.

Mike

[Janito]

There are such things as beta-testing and limited roll-out.

ps - Luckily, at least one of Omobono's quizes has survived.

------------------

Interesting, that the Edit function does not appear to record the time or date of the alteration.

This a fantastic for all those who wish to revise History and go unnoticed.

I guess, if it's happening elsewhere, why not on MN.

---------------------------------

Corrected spelling at 9:27, message recorded as 9:13 after last alteration.

[Guy_Gallo]

Thanks go Glenn for figuring out how to convert old links to new links...

All seems to be working now.

[Guy_Gallo]

Identifying and Appraising Violins

Interesting excerpt regarding country of origin labeling:

The McKinley Tariff Act of 1891 required that items imported to the U.S. be marked with their country of origin. In 1914 the act was revised to require the words "Made in" to also be used. Finally, in 1921 the act was revised yet again to require that all country names occurred in English. Thus an object labeled simply "Bavaria" of "Nippon" would likely (but not absolutely) be from some time between 1891 and 1914. "Made in Italia" might be before 1921.

It seems likely that any item marked "Made in Japan" was probably made or imported after 1921. Prior to 1921, they might have been labeled "Made in Nippon." We also know that after WWII and during the US occupation of Japan, items that were made for export were marked "Made in Occupied Japan" or perhaps "Occupied Japan."

Similarly, items labeled "Made in Germany" are likely manufactured between 1921 and WWII. After partition the designations became "Made in West (or East) Germany" and remained so until the reunification in the 1990's.

The essential point of all this is that such designations on a violin label, for example, clearly indicate an instrument manufactured for export to the U.S. If you have a violin with a label nearly identical to the Stradivari or other labels shown above, but it says "Made in Germany," it is de facto NOT an authentic Stradivari, but a factory made copy. You don't need an appraiser to tell you this.