Adrian Lopez Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 Could this be the real deal? Posting it here as a matter of curiosity. "A portrait of Antonio Stradivari shown in public for the first time at the Museo del Violino in Cremona is staking a claim to be a true likeness of the great luthier." https://www.thestrad.com/news/is-this-a-true-portrait-of-stradivarius/9583.article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipKT Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 I was excited to look, but as the page was loading, I realized that it does not matter. Stradivari is a myth. A real person, just like Jesus or Paul or Herod Antipas or Mohammed or any other person from antiquity of whom no authentic likeness exists, but who cares? What he did is quite literally for all time. As long as human civilization exists, there will be Stradivarius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 Cool! He's much shorter them I imagined! Makes it all more "real"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Noon Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 Even if it is a portrait of Strad, while sortof cool, it really doesn't matter what he looked like. Even if it is a portrait of Strad, judging by the look of the fiddle he's holding, the artist can't make a good likeness anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Lopez Posted October 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 21 minutes ago, Don Noon said: Even if it is a portrait of Strad, judging by the look of the fiddle he's holding, the artist can't make a good likeness anyway. Yes, I thought the same thing when I saw it, but maybe the artist was better with faces than with fiddles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Preuss Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Don Noon said: Even if it is a portrait of Strad, while sortof cool, it really doesn't matter what he looked like. Even if it is a portrait of Strad, judging by the look of the fiddle he's holding, the artist can't make a good likeness anyway. Even the greatest artists didn't know how to paint a violin realistically (at least I can't remember ever having seen one) In any case, I agree, it doesn't matter. His 'portrait' are the masterworks he left behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scordatura Posted October 23, 2019 Report Share Posted October 23, 2019 2 hours ago, Don Noon said: Even if it is a portrait of Strad, while sortof cool, it really doesn't matter what he looked like. Even if it is a portrait of Strad, judging by the look of the fiddle he's holding, the artist can't make a good likeness anyway. Yes there are quite a few paintings that are marvelous in terms of portraiture but abstract (taking the high road) in the depictions of instruments. Going to Cremona this summer. If I see any apparitions of Antonio I will do my best to capture them with my camera! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis J Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 Whoever it portrays it is someone with a very lopsided face. The left eye socket is abnormally lower than the right. It's either a bad painting of a person with a strange face or a very badly executed painting purporting to be of Stradivari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eloffe Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 if it is him why is he holding a HOPF ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 34 minutes ago, Dennis J said: Whoever it portrays it is someone with a very lopsided face. The left eye socket is abnormally lower than the right. It's either a bad painting of a person with a strange face or a very badly executed painting purporting to be of Stradivari. Maybe he suffered a stroke, or had Bell's Palsy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 7 hours ago, Adrian Lopez said: Could this be the real deal? Posting it here as a matter of curiosity. "A portrait of Antonio Stradivari shown in public for the first time at the Museo del Violino in Cremona is staking a claim to be a true likeness of the great luthier." https://www.thestrad.com/news/is-this-a-true-portrait-of-stradivarius/9583.article As we all know, labels can't be trusted. The guy looks more Teutonic than Italian to me. Probably just another German fake Stradivarius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Lopez Posted October 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 1 minute ago, Violadamore said: The guy looks more Teutonic than Italian to me. Probably just another German fake Stradivarius. Mittenwald or Markneukirchen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzupe Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 Damn long haired hippies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis J Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Rue said: Maybe he suffered a stroke, or had Bell's Palsy? I don't think it would be palsy because the eyebrows are lined up, but the left eyeball is on the ground floor and the right is on the first storey. If it was palsy the whole left side of his face would droop down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 4 hours ago, Adrian Lopez said: Mittenwald or Markneukirchen? Tyrolean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoGo Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 10 hours ago, Don Noon said: Even if it is a portrait of Strad, while sortof cool, it really doesn't matter what he looked like. I bet there will be few makers who will start wearing same hat and jacket as the man in the picture, just to be more period correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 8 hours ago, Adrian Lopez said: Mittenwald or Markneukirchen? Time to summon the expertlse...(and dont just point to a previous thread !) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romberg flat Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 We discussed the Stradivari portrait here: https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/333884-painting-of-stradivari-done-by-gialdisi-1691/&do=findComment&comment=713006 The medallion portrait by Gialdisi is also from 1691, but it is hardly the same person. Most probably all this is just speculation, but very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tets Kimura Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 So everybody's pleased he wasn't good looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudall Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 17 hours ago, Andreas Preuss said: Even the greatest artists didn't know how to paint a violin realistically (at least I can't remember ever having seen one) https://images.app.goo.gl/Bug5zQxLxMpxBU196 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobsaunders Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 14 minutes ago, rudall said: https://images.app.goo.gl/Bug5zQxLxMpxBU196 Must ask VdA what that one sounds like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Violin Beautiful Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 17 hours ago, Rue said: Maybe he suffered a stroke, or had Bell's Palsy? That’s hard to imagine, as the painting is dated 1691– well before his golden period, and I don’t think there are any indications that he was held back by health problems—he lived into his mid-90s. I think it’s more likely that the artist was just having trouble with proportions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three13 Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 There's only one true image of Stradivari: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudall Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 3 hours ago, jacobsaunders said: Must ask VdA what that one sounds like Quite flat I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Preuss Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 4 hours ago, rudall said: https://images.app.goo.gl/Bug5zQxLxMpxBU196 That's a nice one. I think the same painter made more stilllives with violins. However, I was thinking more of painters in Stradivaris lifetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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