maker buys $25,000 c1885 Raffaele Calace for $500 on Ebay!!!

[lyndon]

I dont Have much time right now to talk about it but working with two top appraisers, one here, one in Italy, I personally am 95% convinced I have finally bought a genuine about 120 yr old hand made by one maker Italian masterpiece, needing no restoration, or repairs, just a soundpost and a set of strings, glorious sound, the instrument is now on extended loan to my best customer, Lucille Taylor, a guest violist for the LA phil(understudy) to play it in for several months till it sounds at it top potential,Lucilles brother Lyndon Taylor(yes there are two Lyndons just google it if you dont beleive me)used to play a Stradivari on loan to him while he led the second violin section and soloed for the LA Philharmonic.

this instrument has sat for 100 yrs with out being played as it has hardly any wear, and sound is good, very good but a little "stuffy" if i could describe its shortcomings.It beats my Georg Gemunder in tone quality, the instrument was appraised by very respected British authority and famous writer Cyril Woodcock, whos certificates still stand up at major auction houses today as ascribed to (in my opinion) Raffaelle Calace, who started hand making violins late in the 1800s and by the 30s directed factories manufacturing much cheaper looking violins and exquisite mandolins which were his specialty, He was a University proffesor, and classical music composer, a lot of his compositions include mandolins, busy man!!!!

right now i only have a link to the ebay ad, with LOUSY pictures, thats why it didnt sell, i think, i saw it first two weeks before i bought it and thought the whole story was just too good to be true, as soon as i get quality pictures from all angles and post the link and let you decide if im crazy or know a thing or too about violins,,,,,,,sincerely lyndon remember this was listed buy it now, not auction format so any one could have bought it any time for three weeks with $500 in their paypal account B) :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&_rdc=1&item=280578515153&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp5197.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D280578515153%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&si=itYPMwKdHHwWVMqwdMIwLKb9eZI%253D&viewitem=

[lyndon]

ps the neck turned out to be original, with a grafted scroll, original to manufacture like many 2oth century italian makers like Scarampella, the forgeries are practically never grafted, at least not the 20th century forgeries...

[Jacob]

ps the neck turned out to be original, with a grafted scroll, original to manufacture like many 2oth century italian makers like Scarampella, the forgeries are practically never grafted, at least not the 20th century forgeries...

This Calace dude - what was his connection with the Hopf family, or did he just like their designs?

[actonern]

"Lucille Taylor, a guest violist for the LA phil(understudy)"...

Do you know whether she still owns/plays the Otto Erdesz viola she had in the late 70's?

E

[lyndon]

Yes aconotern she still does, I just saw it last night, i expressed gratitude that she still had it and hadnt sold it as she once thought about, she also has an original grafted scroll Hopf violin from the 1700s that were thinking about new soundpost and or bridge to try and get a better sound out of. Shes an incredible player, she feels with an instrument of the Calaces quality or the old Goffriller???? violin i sold for $6000, she might be able to get a job with the Phil like her brother once did. I really think, If she decides to take it that far i might just likely give it to her for 1000 or let her make payments whats more important, friendship, love of music, or monetary gain,and sell it to her cheap or let her make payments. Its a big violin,14 1/4, with 13 3/16 scale and a deep sonourous viola tone, it may in fact be a 3/4 viola, If Lucille really wants or can get a Job with the LA phil. i dont think il1 ask for it back, after all its just one violin, $500, and ebay, you can't get greedy about making profit from youre best friends.

Jacob funny you should say that, I too thought from the pictures the back was some kind of Hog back arching like crude hopfs, thing is to my surprise when I got it, the violins arching doesnt look anything like the pictures, evidently its an optical illusion caused by bad lighting and camera angle, I sure when we get better pictures youll notice the difference, sincerely Lyndon :)

[jezzupe]

schweet!

[Bob A]

This Calace dude was a triple-threat musician/luthier/composer. He and his brother started out making instruments, mainly mandolins, in their father's shop in Napoli. Raffaele developed great chops as a mandolinist in what was to become the golden age of the instrument, as well as composing a large body of work for the instrument and its relations, mandola and mandocello. His music is highly thought of today by professional mandolinists, as are his instruments. The atelier carries on today under his grandson. Along with the instruments of Luigi Embergher and the various members of the Vinaccia family, Calace mandolins are recognised as the finest examples of the Italian mandolin.

His influence is worldwide; a trip to Japan to play for the royal court sparked an interest in the instrument that continues today; outside of Europe, the roots of the classical mandolin are deepest in Japan.

I believe one of Calace's violins was owned and played by Il Duce, B. Mussolini himself. (It must be said that Calace's violins and guitars were never to reach the same heights as his mandolin family instruments).

In a nutshell, more than you ever wanted to know about Calace, and less. I don't think he was related to the Hopf family.

[lyndon]

thanks a lot bob, thats the truth, he wasnt near the top of modern italian violin makers but his mandolins were great. workmanship wise, appearances, its one of the finest violins i have owned, again the ebay pictures give it no justice, look at the last detail picture of the bottom endpin area thats what the whole thing looks like varnish wise, not the other pics which are all underexposed...

[Dean_Lapinel]

I don't know why this hit me now but I wonder if anyone knows what ISOC is up to these days. Is he on any forums?

[Bruce Carlson]

This Calace dude - what was his connection with the Hopf family, or did he just like their designs?

Hi Jacob,

This is what I know as Raffaele Calace 1900.

Bruce

[lyndon]

many thanks, Bruce, is yours a very shiny spirit varnish? thats what mine is. sincerely Lyndon

[GlennYorkPA]

thanks a lot bob, thats the truth, he wasnt near the top of modern italian violin makers but his mandolins were great. workmanship wise, appearances, its one of the finest violins i have owned, again the ebay pictures give it no justice, look at the last detail picture of the bottom endpin area thats what the whole thing looks like varnish wise, not the other pics which are all underexposed...

What does the stamp above the end pin say?

Glenn

[GlennYorkPA]

Hi Jacob,

This is what I know as Raffaele Calace 1900.

Bruce

The similarities with the eBay instrument are not immediately apparent.

Glenn

[Jacob]

Hi Jacob,

This is what I know as Raffaele Calace 1900.

Bruce

Thanks Mr Carlson, that's interesting. I wonder how the guy hit on that outline (for one thing). Do you know of any other pseudo-Maggini heads by him? I kind of have the idea that the profusion of turns was a German trade thing when invoking Maggini.

[Bruce Carlson]

Thanks Mr Carlson, that's interesting. I wonder how the guy hit on that outline (for one thing). Do you know of any other pseudo-Maggini heads by him? I kind of have the idea that the profusion of turns was a German trade thing when invoking Maggini.

I have never seen a "pseudo Maggini" head by Calace, besides Maggini never made them with the extra turn, if anything they were 1/4 turn short. The one I illustrated, for example, does not have an extra turn.

Bruce

[Bruce Carlson]

The similarities with the eBay instrument are not immediately apparent.

Glenn

Should there be similarities?????

[Ron MacDonald]

I can't comment on this particular instrument but I can say that Woodcock certificates were and are a joke. I was one of his victims as a naive student back in the sixties when I bought what was supposed to be a Gagliano from him. Every genuine expert who saw it laughed and warned me about his notoriety in the violin world even then. I learned a hard and expensive lesson.

[Jacob]

Maggini never made them with the extra turn, if anything they were 1/4 turn short.

Bruce

That's why I call things like that "pseudo-Maggini"...like the double-purfling German trade jobs with twirly-whirly scrolls like that.

[fiddlecollector]

Ive seen a few Calace violins and wasnt too impressed ,they looked very personalistic and rather odd,i think he should have stuck to making mandolins and guitars.Certainly not much resemblance to other half decent Naples makers like Pistucci,Bellarosa ,Contino,etc..Apart from maybe the very flat edge /corner work

[GlennYorkPA]

Thanks Mr Carlson, that's interesting. I wonder how the guy hit on that outline (for one thing). Do you know of any other pseudo-Maggini heads by him? I kind of have the idea that the profusion of turns was a German trade thing when invoking Maggini.

Jacob,

It says in the eBay listing that the neck has been replaced.

I think that the body was also replaced at some stage.

Glenn

[Jacob]

Jacob,

It says in the eBay listing that the neck has been replaced.

I think that the body was also replaced at some stage.

Glenn

Ah, I see...like the axe in the Tower of London? New blade, replacement handle, but original axe...

[Dean_Lapinel]

Hi Jacob,

This is what I know as Raffaele Calace 1900.

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

As usual, great photos to look at. I was struck by the corner purfling. There seems to be a sharp edge on the purfling channel that can only happen if the purfling was set low rather than shaved down to create the channel and tie in to the arching. Perhaps this is just an artifact of the photo but it jumps out at me. Comment?

[lvlagneto]

There seems to be a sharp edge on the purfling channel that can only happen if the purfling was set low rather than shaved down to create the channel and tie in to the arching. Perhaps this is just an artifact of the photo but it jumps out at me. Comment?

The channel does look wide, but the highlight looks like separation to me... purfling shrinking, and cracking the finish?

As to the value of this instrument -- really? Quite a markup. Looks like I'll have to keep buying white violins from Chinatown.

[lyndon]

According to Arthur Robinson, outside Perth Australia, one of the top Australian builders and dealers of both modern and baroque violins, who is a good Friend of Charles Beare in London were he used to live, Woodcocks certificates are well respected, even today in England, and every big name appraiser, take Dario D'Attili for example, end up making judgements that later dealers decide are wrong, as to the Gagliano, what evidence do you have that it wasn't the modern dealers questioning his appraisal so they had a better chance of convincing you to sell it to them cheap,

Appraisers were not more dishonest and less accurate years ago, and possibly just the opposite. You havent compared side by side my violin to the pictures Bruce so kindly sent me,I have; there virtually identical to any eye, that doesnt make it a Calace, who copied a Gagliano I think, maybe its much older and thats why the scroll is grafted, Im not an expert, but Arthur Robinson said a Woodcock label is as good as a Woodcock certificate, and Woodcock certificates are honored at major auction houses like Sothebys and Bonhams,

just because you dont like Lyndon, doesn't mean he didn't buy an Italian violin on ebay for $500. Ps Bruce I should have picture posted with a link here by next week then please youre opinion will be greatly respected, your friend Lyndon Taylor

[Bruce Carlson]

Hi Bruce,

As usual, great photos to look at. I was struck by the corner purfling. There seems to be a sharp edge on the purfling channel that can only happen if the purfling was set low rather than shaved down to create the channel and tie in to the arching. Perhaps this is just an artifact of the photo but it jumps out at me. Comment?

Hi Dean,

I think you can see the edgework better in the photographs below. It's a very unusual rounded edge and the purfling white, which is NOT wood, looks more like some material you would find running around the decorative edge of a guitar or a mandolin.

Bruce