Looted Violin-German Foundation Back Walks the Mediation Agreement

[l33tplaya]

In California, if both parties agree to mediation, under court supervision, tbh, and then one party reneges, the aggrieved party may go to court to enforce the agreement. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/arts/music/violin-restitution-germany.html

[Strad O Various Jr.]

Josef Guarnerius, only worth $185,000, so its a fake, something doesn't jibe here?

[deans]

Maybe a "filius Andreae"? Still on the low side, maybe not the best example.

[Violadamore]

1 hour ago, Strad O Various Jr. said:

Josef Guarnerius, only worth $185,000, so its a fake, something doesn't jibe here?

There's some vagueness in the accounts, as to which Guarneri made it, but the issue impacting the value seems to be condition.

Here's some more about this affair. 

https://www.jta.org/2014/02/21/culture/connecting-a-100-year-old-woman-and-her-fathers-300-year-old-violin

https://www.lootedart.com/SOT9P6928541

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/entschaedigung-fuer-ns-raubgut-historische-ohrfeige.691.de.html?dram:article_id=491089

[TimRobinson]

From lootedart site: "...with repair costs of ca. €50,000..."

I don't doubt the expertise or restorers at this level, or their worth, but what must be wrong with it? From the photo the edges look to need work.  Are there cracks as well?  Neck issues?  How many hours would be guestimated to come to 50K?

Tim

[plasterercaster]

I'm not sure if the violin in the photo from the link above is the violin in question. The violin in question is pictured in an article on this sorry tale in the Strad, and the front looks like it needs a lot of work.

A top restorer should be charging at least 100Euro an hour - 50,000 looks like a very reasonable guestimate to me.