Bruce Tai Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 I have been generously given an old violin neck for my research. According to my source, this belonged to a Stradivari. Here are my observations: 1. The finger board piece has ivory. I guess this is why the neck was not thrown away. The ivory says "Luccia Decit", does this mean the ivory piece was made by a guy called Luccia? 2. The neck piece has some writing on the glued face, and one word says Stradivari or Stradivarius. 3. The neck piece has been extended at several places: a thin piece about 3 mm thick was added to the side to be glued with the fingerboard, now there is still a lot of glue left 4. The part of the neck close to the body has been extended with four pieces of wood: three larger pieces to the top about 9 mm thick, and a small thin piece at the bottom. 5. The neck extension job looks very similar to the Harrison Stad that still retains the original neck, both have three nail holes. Harrison Strad link The book by Pollens says that there are only 7 instruments left with original necks, quoting the Hills. Do we have other replaced necks still surviving? Any opinion on how we can authenticate this neck? ......
Michael_Molnar Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Great photography. I wish I had an answer for you.
Herman West Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 I'm sorry, I don't want to state the obvious, but it doesn't say "Luccia Decit" but "Luccia Fecit" which, obviously, means "Luccia Made This". Which could be an answer to your query. Or not.
romberg flat Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 With some luck this could be the neck of Brancaccio Strad from 1725, owned until 1928 by Carl Flesch, Hungarian-born violinist and pedagogue (1873-1944) and sold to Franz von Mendelssohn, banker and amateur violinist. The violin was destroyed in air allied raid on Berlin.
Bruce Tai Posted August 31, 2015 Author Report Posted August 31, 2015 Anyone has any idea about what "Luccia Fecit" means? I can't find any information about this Luccia person.
Rue Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Isn't there a village called Luccia? Or Santa Luccia? "Made in Luccia"?
Violadamore Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Thank you enormously for posting the photos.
dan_s Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 The best thing is to have it fitted to a mediocre violin and if it improves it a lot it's a Strad neck. But I think it could be.
Ron1 Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Have you deciphered the other words on the neck? The word preceding Stradivarius (sp) seems to possibly be "Original"?
Ron1 Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 And the lower text might say something like "(_ B___lucci-Strad)"
Will L Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 I can't find a "Luccia" Italy, only a Lucca. And Santa Lucia is spelled with one c. But I can imagine "Luccia fecit" could possibly mean "made in honor of Santa Lucia." Wouldn't it be odd for a humble repairman to mark his own work so ostentatiously? And, there is a moral to this story, that I've been hinting at: Keep better notes. A guy takes off a Strad neck, and of course he's going to save it, and of course he's going to mark it. But the guy didn't give enough information.
romberg flat Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Bruce, if you try to read handwritings on the neck, you can see that is written: “Sale of Original Stradivarius” “a Brancaccio Strad” On one side of the neck handwriting says: “Brancaccio Flesch” There were several violin makers named De Luccia – Michele (I), Gennaro, Michele(II), Vincezo – all from Casigliano Sessa Cilento Italy, living and being active in Italy and USA, in 19th and 20th century. It would be nice if the neck is originally from Brancacci Strad which once belonged to Carl Flesch and was destroyed in WWII as I wrote before, but I’m afraid this will not happen.
Rue Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Names...and especially spellings change over the course of time. There was no universally agreed upon spelling way back...at least not in English. I will assume it was the same in other languages. When was the first Italian dictionary published? Why was this a repairman? I assumed an artisan or craftsman? Perhaps the instrument this neck came off of was commissioned as a souvenir or a Remembrance of a hometown, etc. Seems reasonable back in the days when travelling and long-distance communication was difficult.
uncle duke Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 The ivory reminds me of Portuguese work, artwise anyways.
romberg flat Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Perhaps this is worth of taking seriously…(but where is a tailpiece?) http://www.bongartz-auctions.com/passion/page-6.html
Bruce Tai Posted August 31, 2015 Author Report Posted August 31, 2015 Just uploaded a photoshop color enhancement photo in the original post. It says: "???? Original Stradivarius" "? Brancaccio Strad" It is Carl Flesch's Strad instrument, destroyed in an air aid in Germany during WWII.
Will L Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Why was this a repairman? I assumed an artisan or craftsman? True, it would be more likely the maker of the instrument would put his name on the fingerboard than a later repairman, but even then, isn't it unusual to be so obvious? I am still reeling over piano companies starting to put their name toward the audience.
Michael_Molnar Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Perhaps this is worth of taking seriously… http://www.bongartz-auctions.com/passion/page-6.html brancaccio fingerboard.jpg Great catch.
Bruce Tai Posted August 31, 2015 Author Report Posted August 31, 2015 Perhaps this is worth of taking seriously… http://www.bongartz-auctions.com/passion/page-6.html brancaccio fingerboard.jpg Good find and good eye. I was just deciphering the text marked by a pen and read "Brancaccio Strad." So there we have it. A great Strad destroyed in war, and here is what's left of it.
Bruce Tai Posted August 31, 2015 Author Report Posted August 31, 2015 Bruce, if you try to read handwritings on the neck, you can see that is written: “Sale of Original Stradivarius” “a Brancaccio Strad” On one side of the neck handwriting says: “Brancaccio Flesch” There were several violin makers named De Luccia – Michele (I), Gennaro, Michele(II), Vincezo – all from Casigliano Sessa Cilento Italy, living and being active in Italy and USA, in 19th and 20th century. It would be nice if the neck is originally from Brancacci Strad which once belonged to Carl Flesch and was destroyed in WWII as I wrote before, but I’m afraid this will not happen. Wow, you can read the letters so much better than I do. I also think it is the violin makers of De Luccia. They came from Sessa Cilento. On Google map the neighboring town is called Santa Lucia.
Will L Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 How do you know this wasn't removed from the violin before the war? ...in the process of updating the neck? I don't know that Flesch played on a baroque set up. I doubt it's all that's left of the violin after a bomb. Incidentally, Gennaro De Lucia ended up in this country. Miami.
romberg flat Posted August 31, 2015 Report Posted August 31, 2015 Good find and good eye. I was just deciphering the text marked by a pen and read "Brancaccio Strad." So there we have it. A great Strad destroyed in war, and here is what's left of it. I am not sure if this is a genuine Brancaccio Strad neck, but I am pretty sure its the same neck as that on Bongartz auction from 2008. In any case worth to explore and you owe me a drink.
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