Parker Viola Already at $120,000.00!

[martin swan]

Parker instruments tend to cross match against other Parker instruments and very little else, so I doubt he was accessing the same wood as his Italian contemporaries.

[deans]

Thanks Martin. I assume they do not have enough data to ascertain the woods geographic origin then? Perhaps someday they will. 

[henrypeacham]

As earlier suggested, it did not remain at £120,000.00

£180,000.00 + 20% = £216,000.00 

Sweet

[Dwight Brown]

23 minutes ago, henrypeacham said:

As earlier suggested, it did not remain at £120,000.00

£180,000.00 + 20% = £216,000.00 

Sweet

I hope whoever got it loves it!

DLB

[Shelbow]

Good result

[Ratcliffiddles]

On 10/26/2022 at 11:28 AM, Michael Appleman said:

This makes me want to tell of a cello I know, owned and played by an excellent cellist I used to play with in a quartet. He had found it and bought it as an anonymous cello from a wealthy amateur's collection, and got some interesting speculative assessments from some of the world' top experts who thought it might be a "Rogerini," a unique example of Rogeri doing a Maggini-inspired cello. I recommended he do a dendro, and a test came back with a same tree match with a Parker! I thought he would be thrilled to be able to say he had a rare (if not unique) Parker cello, but in the end, he continues to mention in program blurbs that he plays a Rogeri...

 

On 10/26/2022 at 2:59 PM, deans said:

Just curious. Why does this mean its not a Rogeri? Arent there many of examples of different makers having wood from the same tree? Maybe Mr Ratcliff could comment. Wonder if there are English/Italian matches.

I remember the cello in question, and indeed, the cross-matches were only with instruments made in England (and Holland) prior to 1720.  The possible same tree-match to a Parker ( I haven't checked the statement, but coming from Michael, I suspect that is what I said at the time) doesn't necessarily make it into a Parker, but in my experience the wood source used by the vast majority of the English ( and Dutch) makers between about 1650 and 1720 is quite specific to these 2 countries, and is very rarely seen elsewhere during that period.  I certainly have not come across any Rogeri, "regular" ones or "Maggini inspired" specimens.

I personally would extremely surprised if this cello was made in Italy, by anybody.

[Ratcliffiddles]

On 10/26/2022 at 7:45 PM, deans said:

Thanks Martin. I assume they do not have enough data to ascertain the woods geographic origin then? Perhaps someday they will. 

"They" do not, currently, although there are hints from the Black Forest. The problem, as with all areas, is obtaining geographically reliable historical tree-ring data.

[deans]

Thanks for responding. The Dutch/ English wood connection is an interesting tidbit. Was this known before dendro came along or is it something you discovered?

[Ratcliffiddles]

8 hours ago, deans said:

Thanks for responding. The Dutch/ English wood connection is an interesting tidbit. Was this known before dendro came along or is it something you discovered?

Most definitely not known before dendro...

[Alma Elder]

[Blank face]

On 11/10/2022 at 11:35 AM, Ratcliffiddles said:

there are hints from the Black Forest.

Likelihood would make it probable that wood being used in the Netherlands was transported North on the the River Rhine, and from there to Britain.  If not way down South from Switzerland the Black Forest would be the next mountain source on the way.

[Ratcliffiddles]

13 hours ago, Blank face said:

Likelihood would make it probable that wood being used in the Netherlands was transported North on the the River Rhine, and from there to Britain.  if not way down South from Switzerland the Black Forest would be the next mountain source on the way.

Precisely, but I am pretty sure it is not from Switzerland as there are no indications that the wood is Alpine in provenance. The morphology and appearance is also often quite different from Alpine spruce.

 

[Blank face]

11 hours ago, Ratcliffiddles said:

Precisely, but I am pretty sure it is not from Switzerland as there are no indications that the wood is Alpine in provenance. The morphology and appearance is also often quite different from Alpine spruce.

 

There was violin making in the Black Forest from the late 17th century onwards, especially the Straub family. One early instrument is in the Berlin Musikinstrumentenmuseum, so it’s  possible to get data (if the museum agrees).