Titian poster errors

[violins88]

The Strad Titian poster has errors. Specifically, the cross arch drawings are too short by about 2 mm when compared to the outline drawing of the instrument on the same paper. Assuming the authors did their work accurately, it looks to me like the error is caused by shrinking in the horizontal direction, either of the paper or the optical part of the reproduction process. 

 

I wonder is the authors of the various posters and the publisher are aware of these problems.

 

Does anyone else notice errors of this nature?

[Christopher Jacoby]

John, the posters are always wonky. Don't trust them to have anything sized correctly! My friend Cameron and I started in on BRos. Amati violas in Salt Lake using the outline tracing on the back of the Strad poster and came up with lower bouts almost a cm too wide!

[Don Noon]

I hadn't noticed, but checked my poster to verify that there is a significant discrepancy... if you're trying to make an accurate copy.

 

It's a good thing I'm not a copyist, or it might bother me.

[Will L]

 

 

Does anyone else notice errors of this nature?

Yes.  And it gets discussed every couple of years.  There should probably be a "Ten Commandments" at the top of Maestronet in plain sight at all times.  lV: Always check the pictures with the given measurements.  ( I suppose even then we are at the mercy of the editors.  Most are pretty good it seems; we just can't be sure.)

[not telling]

It's a good thing I'm not a copyist, or it might bother me.

[Julian Cossmann Cooke]

Not that we need to assemble a full list of those posters with "idiosyncrasies" (he says as he starts doing just that), but the picture of the Viotti on the poster is considerably smaller than actual size.  I found this out when I compared it to the pictures in the Brandmair/Greiner book (which sent me back to the numbers for confirmation)...

[Don Noon]

Wow, that VIotti photo is quite undersized.  I hadn't noticed it when I tooled up my Strad model based on the Viotti.  The line drawing is a lot closer to the listed dimensions, and I used that, sortof.  Actually, I used the Messiah poster too, put one on top of the other, and ended up with a crossbreed.

[violins88]

In the fullness of time, someone will provide svg or pdf files of the outline drawings, the arching drawings and the mould outline. Digital files have a good chance of surviving accurately. No paper shrinkage or distortion. I attempted this a while ago with the outline. Arches are something else. What are the best sources for accurate arching templates?  Pollens?

 

Probably someone has already done it. Anyone? Here is one, drawn by John Pringle. It looks like the National Music Museum has copied this one onto mylar and is selling it. I wonder if they got copyrights?

[Michael_Molnar]

I noticed the Titian error and thought I told someone here about it. I stopped using it and switched, believe it or not, to the Viotti. ​ As for the Viotti, I never presumed any poster photo was precisely life-size because I find camera field curvature issues. I thought that poster photos would be taken with a telephoto on a camera placed down the hall. Wrong. Some posters look like "fish-eye" photos. There are also printing/processing/reproduction errors that the Viotti has.

 

These are not show-stoppers. You need to verify everything and see if your measurements are consistent. Still, it's a pain. A warning label should be placed on the posters.

 

Mike

[Julian Cossmann Cooke]

In the fullness of time, someone will provide svg or pdf files of the outline drawings, the arching drawings and the mould outline. Digital files have a good chance of surviving accurately. No paper shrinkage or distortion. I attempted this a while ago with the outline. Arches are something else. What are the best sources for accurate arching templates?  Pollens?

 

Probably someone has already done it. Anyone? Here is one, drawn by John Pringle. It looks like the National Music Museum has copied this one onto mylar and is selling it. I wonder if they got copyrights?

Is this one of the technical drawings NMM is selling?  For a while, they had a fellow on staff who was doing these.  I seem to remember the John Pringle ones which I think Arian talked about in one of her presentations.  Sounds out of character that they would use them without permission.

[not telling]

John Pringle has done a ton of technical drawings, and they didn't steal that stuff.  All of his drawings are great (far as I know).  However, I would really doubt that he is getting royalties.  The Strad has a system set up that isn't exactly fair to the specialized nature of work being done, either.  But what's fair...I guess you get your name on the poster forever if you spend a few minutes taking some measurements and drawing it all up.  Whomever doesn't want to do it, a hundred other guys would.

 

Which is another reason why it's messed up that there are inaccuracies in any of the drawings.