classicalmusic Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 I have a violin labeled Percy L Dirking made in Chicago in the early 1900s and was wondering if anyone has heard of him or knows his work. Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Strad O Various Jr. Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 My first thought would be imported in the white?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richf Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 Nice looking fiddle. The Wenberg book on American makers lists him, but in Spokane, not Chicago. To my eye, this looks very similar to works by other Chicago makers of the time. John Hornsteiner disciples? Folks working together at the benches of William Lewis or Lyon & Healy? Wenberg doesn't say where Dirking received his training. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Strad O Various Jr. Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 Given that most of these makers were importing from Markneukirchen, that could well be true!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richf Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 We may need Jeffrey or someone from the Chicago area to weight in here. John Hornsteiner was a master to many Chicago notables, and we was a Mittenwald guy. I always assumed that folks working under him followed Mittenwald methods. But since I've never seen a Becker, Sindelar, Halvarson, Einsele, etc. in person, and it would be very interesting to learn that they exhibited Markneukirchen traits. (This is all an aside, of course, if anyone in the know wants assert that this Dirking has nothing to do with Chicago.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
classicalmusic Posted October 14, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 Here are some more pictures. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Strad O Various Jr. Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 Where does the carving end on the scroll?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
classicalmusic Posted October 14, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wood Butcher Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Strad O Various Jr. said: Given that most of these makers were importing from Markneukirchen, that could well be true!! If it really was imported from Markneukirchen, do you not think that the back jointing would be 1000 times better than this one? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Strad O Various Jr. Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 The back join has failed and has been reglued by the looks of it, that can happen to violins from anywhere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
classicalmusic Posted October 14, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 17 minutes ago, Strad O Various Jr. said: The back join has failed and has been reglued by the looks of it, that can happen to violins from anywhere. Yes Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wood Butcher Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 33 minutes ago, Strad O Various Jr. said: The back join has failed and has been reglued by the looks of it, that can happen to violins from anywhere. Perhaps. A pity it wasn't attended to more skilfully. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Strad O Various Jr. Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Strad O Various Jr. said: Where does the carving end on the scroll?? bump??????? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rudall Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 See photo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rudall Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 31 minutes ago, Wood Butcher said: Perhaps. A pity it wasn't attended to more skilfully. Also rather lazy not to make the new button in two parts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wood Butcher Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 3 minutes ago, rudall said: Also rather lazy not to make the new button in two parts. Or to make the replacement purfling anything like the original. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Strad O Various Jr. Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 Scroll looks Markie, corners look BOB, any guesses?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jacobsaunders Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 Agree, it owes a lot to Markneukirchen. Probably sounds much better with an American piece of paper inside Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rue Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 7 minutes ago, jacobsaunders said: Agree, it owes a lot to Markneukirchen. Probably sounds much better with an American piece of paper inside What? Do you mean that it's the thought that counts? ... ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Strad O Various Jr. Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 21 minutes ago, jacobsaunders said: Agree, it owes a lot to Markneukirchen. Probably sounds much better with an American piece of paper inside He did put a nice varnish on it, and that piece of paper makes it worth 4 times a regular Markie so that's one valuable piece of paper. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
classicalmusic Posted October 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 Does this help? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jacobsaunders Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 The inside of the ribs look more home made than I would have expected from the outside Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richf Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 Jacob, looking at the corner blocks and the rib seams at the corners, I see internal mold construction. That is, not some Markneukirchen purchased in the white. Am I on the right track? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jacobsaunders Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 14 minutes ago, Richf said: Jacob, looking at the corner blocks and the rib seams at the corners, I see internal mold construction. That is, not some Markneukirchen purchased in the white. Am I on the right track? Where do you see "internal mo(u)ld construction"? It all looks a little unusual and untidy to me, in contrast to the rest (outside of) the violin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richf Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 I think I see corner blocks with a longer tail towards the lower bout and maybe a rib lining inserted from the C-bout side. And for the rib seam at the corners, the lower bout rib seems to overlap the C-bout rib the way I would have expected. I'm not saying this is Mittenwald work, just that the maker might have been influenced by a Mittenwald-trained maker, namely John Hornsteiner or one of his mentees in Chicago, where Mr. Dirking made this instrument. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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