Violin Identification Help Please *Frankenfiddle*

[Trip]

Hi, I recently found this fiddle and am in need of identification assistance..

It came into my life all funky. I did not bedazzle it.

After reading here for 3 days, I’ve learned a lot, but not enough to tell what I’m holding. 
The label looks super nice, saddle is marked an=25 Czech.
Can’t see additional markings other than label (even with endpin out)

Any Identification assistance would be greatly appreciated. 
I love it whatever it is, hope someone enjoys the pics, thanks!

• Violin dimensions (these are edge to edge)
• Length - 23.5 in - 59.69 cm
• Body length - 14.25 in - 36.195 cm
• Upper bouts -  6.5 in - 16.51 cm (widest)
• Middle bouts - 4.25 in - 10.795 cm (narrowest)
• Lower bouts  - 8 in - 20.32 cm (widest)

All corners are blocked (vertical grain) seemingly with equilaterals, linings run behind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by Trip
Updated saddle

[Trip]

Adding bow and neck & body joints

[Trip]

• Mittenwald (but the varnish & blocking) ?
• Mirecourt varnish & blocking look (to my uneducated eye), but the Saxony lion head?
• Markneukirchen / Klingenthal / Luby?
   

Edited April 28, 2020 by Trip

[Violadamore]

Welcome to the forum.  Nice pics.  I suppose that the addition of jewels to an item like this has rendered everyone speechless.   

It looks to me like a Markneukirchen/Schönbach trade violin from around 1890-1910 that's been mislabeled by someone with a twisted sense of humor, as well as otherwise abused.  Did you find it in a dustbin in Klosterneuburg, Austria?   

In the hope that it has something going for it, how does it sound?  

[Three13]

I’ve seen bejeweled eyes before, but never ears.

[Trip]

Thanks for the welcome and the ID help, Violadamore!
I hadn’t yet found a good resource/post on differentiating the Markneukirchen / Klingenthal / Luby trades.
There are some really good contributors here, I’ve learned a lot about construction and history in the last few days, great stuff, thanks all.

Quote

something

Pshaw,
Dustbin... It beckoned me from the interwebs.  It really sounds good, but, you should see this thing when the sun catches the sparkly bits just right, simply brilliant. 
Fairly sure the enchanted lion head has warded something bad off already, too,  probably.
Are you sure you saw that label?  It’s a really good looking label.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Trip
Made even mo better

[Felefar]

I would say Böhmen rather than Franken. 

[FiddleDoug]

I would agree with Violadamore. The scroll lion head is definitely not original, and it looks like it was either carved from the original scroll, or totally replaced.

 

[Brad Dorsey]

8 hours ago, Violadamore said:

...a Markneukirchen/Schönbach trade violin from around 1890-1910 that's been mislabeled by someone with a twisted sense of humor...

That sounds right to me.  I see no reason to suspect that the scroll is not original.

[FiddleDoug]

1 minute ago, Brad Dorsey said:

That sounds right to me.  I see no reason to suspect that the scroll is not original.

Brad,

Take a close look at the back of the scroll. There are what appear to be some funny join lines. I may be wrong, but it looks odd to me.

 

[Brad Dorsey]

I saw that, too, and didn't know what to make of it.  Now that I look at the front and side of the scroll, I see lines on the pegbox walls that look like graft joints.  But a normal graft wouldn't result in the joint seen on the back.  There's also a line along the side of the neck foot that possibly indicates a neck reset.  So it looks like something has been done with the neck and scroll.  It's hard to figure out exactly what.

[GeorgeH]

30 minutes ago, FiddleDoug said:

Take a close look at the back of the scroll. There are what appear to be some funny join lines. I may be wrong, but it looks odd to me.

The pegbox looks like it has very long cheeks added so perhaps the lions head and part of the pegbox was broken off and repaired.

[deans]

I agree with Brad on the scroll. Looks typical to me, with some jenky repairs.

[Trip]

Thank you all.