historical (Mittenwald) cello bridges ca 1770 - any info?

[baroquecello]

I'm looking for information on cello bridge models from Mittenwald. preferably from the second half of the 18th century, but anything else is also interesting. 

A little background: I recently bought a Cello from Mittenwald ca 1770~80, and, as I'm interested in historical performance practise and am using it as a classical (as opposed to modern) cello, if possible, I'd like to get a bridge made as it could have been when the cello was first produced. I've been looking for information on Mittenwald setup everywhere on the net and enquired at several museums (Mittenwald, Markneukirchen, Germanisches Museum and Grassi/Leipzig), but nobody seems to know anything on the topic, and almost nobody seems to care (with onexaception, some anwers were downright rude, while others didn't reply at all. And one person actually asked why I would care). Does anyone here  have ideas or information?

Right now, the cello has a banks model bridge, which is a little early, english and rather exotic in its outline. I'm thinking of either a Forster cello bridge model (for which I have no historical example to copy yet), which isn't that different from a belgian model, or a Stadlmann (thank you @jacobsaunders bridge model copied. The problem with the later is that the original is about 8 CM wide, while I will need one that is 92 MM wide, so it is rather a different measurement that will require adjusting the feet. Neither of the two models have anything to do with Mittenwald, and the cellos they built look rather different from Mittenwald instruments.

If anyone has any info on original cello bridges ideally from around 1770 ish, ideally from Mittenwald, but also from elsewhere, then I would be very grateful. Any thoughts on the topic, like where I could enquire for further informatio, are also highly appreciated.

[jacobsaunders]

The technisches Museum has a draw with a few Bridges (Pegs, Tailpieces etc.) from the Jaura collection, like the Stadlmann one you link too in its exhibition. The surprise is that they weren't that different to present day ones, certainly not like the star wars ones from Stamm. I’m afraid I don’t know of any other exhibition. About 20 years ago, Eberhard Moosleitner spent several years organising the Technisches Museum Inventory, and he would probably be the most knowledgeable person to ask. I don’t know if he speaks English (he probably does), because I have always spoken German with him. You could find him via the website of his wife, the violin maker Gerlinde Reuterer Geigenbau Reutterer I Über uns

[vvh]

By coincidence I just stumbled upon this very relevant article by Wim Raymaekers yesterday. The full article can easily be found online, even easier if you have a subscription/access to Early Music journal. Perhaps you can reach out to Wim to ask if he has measurements! May be easier route than to go through the museum(s). Would love updates!

Cheers!

Page 23 from Raymaekers - Bridge shapes of the violin and other bowed instruments, 1400-1900.pdf

[baroquecello]

Thank you, this is all very interesting and helpful!

[Blank face]

You might also compare the bridges from the Schreinzer collection, actually in the Kunsthistorisches Museum/Vienna, as far as I know (Forster and Banks in the upper picture):

[baroquecello]

Thank you blank face!

It seems to show a "Forster, S. (London)" bridge. I think that would make is a Simon Andrew Forster bridge, which would make t a romantic bridge rather than a classical bridge, would you agree? The photo is a bit grainy.

 

And the "Klotz" marked bridges are interesting. Not clear which Klotz it means, but they are practically a modern bridge without a heart cutout. What would that do to the sound, I wonder. And they seem to be the only bridges without any cutout; could that be a typical Klotz or Mittenwald thing? And maybe apply to cello bridges also? (speculation....)

In the end it also comes down to the answer to the question how reliable the attributions are.

[Shelbow]

If Teutonic Knights made bridges...

[Blank face]

7 minutes ago, baroquecello said:

Thank you blank face!

It seems to show a "Forster, S. (London)" bridge. I think that would make is a Simon Andrew Forster bridge, which would make t a romantic bridge rather than a classical bridge, would you agree? The photo is a bit grainy.

I’m reading Forster, W., which could mean both II and III.

These are printed reproductions of historical b/w photos from a catalogue, so unfortunately no other pictures available.

[Blank face]

5 minutes ago, Shelbow said:

If Teutonic Knights made bridges...

This seems to read Vylesbourg/Vilsburg, what would make it a variation of some Lorraine cross or whatever. Or even from Switzerland 

[Shelbow]

23 minutes ago, Blank face said:

This seems to read Vylesbourg/Vilsburg, what would make it a variation of some Lorraine cross or whatever. Or even from Switzerland 

It's all just smoke and mirrors to mislead you on the secret work of the order  they have connections everywhere!

[LCF]

14 hours ago, Blank face said:

You might also compare the bridges from the Schreinzer collection, actually in the Kunsthistorisches Museum/Vienna, as far as I know (Forster and Banks in the upper picture):

 

Thank you very much for those photos.  Somewhere I downloaded a picture of another board from this collection which had some Mathias Thir bridges on it but it was very blurry. Do you know if there is a reasonably clear version of that picture anywhere?

[Blank face]

11 hours ago, LCF said:

Thank you very much for those photos.  Somewhere I downloaded a picture of another board from this collection which had some Mathias Thir bridges on it but it was very blurry. Do you know if there is a reasonably clear version of that picture anywhere?

Unfortunately I'm just aware of the reproductions in the Bongartz auction catalogue from May 2007, when they sold the former Hoesch collection. Eric Meyer told me once, that these photos were taken more early in the 20th century for a magazine, but I have no idea where to find them.