Svetlin Roussev's violin

[Omobono]

A picture from a concert preview caught my eye

and thought it worth sharing.

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Is this violin what it looks like?

Reading a little about the artist I see he used to play an Amati

but also has an Alf instrument.

I wonder if this is it or is it the genuine article?

Just curious..........Anybody know?

[skiingfiddler]

I don't know, but the violin sure looks like a del Gesu model. And the shading is a bit too pretty and well defined to be natural. I'd vote for it being a post-1800, maybe contemporary, instrument.

If I'm remembering correctly, a couple of years ago the Dorotheum auction house in Vienna got hold of what it thought was a genuine del Gesu, only to have it turn out to be a contemporary instrument, a Roger Hargrave, I believe.

Contemporary makers can do a scarily convincing job of making and antiquing their instruments to look like genuine del Gesus.

Here's some more info on the Alf Roussev had a decade ago, revealing it to be a copy of the Heifetz del Gesu:

About the Alf

[Omobono]

That was quick - only tookl 157 views before a response

Thanks, skiingfiddler, for that.

Yes, I was wondering is that is an Alf Guaneri bench copy too?

But this doesn't look like a Heifetz owned del Gesu to me -

more like a Cannone or Lord Wilton model?

[Erika]

Svetlin was here recently as a guest concertmaster. I asked my better half what he was playing, and he remembered it as some kind of interesting composite instrument with a del Gesu (?) top. (Don't quote me on that, though, because it's possible he's mixing up that fiddle with one belonging to another guest.)