Anton Jais?

[wooden]

Hello. This violin has a label but I am not convinced it is authentic. Can anyone help in identifying the violin?. Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blank face]

By this photos it looks like an old Mittenwald, but had probably a darker varnish as at the remnants at tscroll, which was sanded down (leaving unusual flat edges), the ff could have been altered, too, and the label was also overwritten. In this state it’s hard to point towards any particular maker.

[uguntde]

Are the ribs inlaid into a groove of the plates, at least the bottom plate?

[wooden]

No. They are not.

[Richf]

FWIW your violin looks nothing like the two Anton Jais violins pictured in the Walter Hamma book -- not the outline, not the f holes, not the scroll, not the finish, not the label.  Still, a nice looking instrument.

[wooden]

I think it could be more similar to Johannes

[Blank face]

2 hours ago, wooden said:

I think it could be more similar to Johannes

It's very unclear if J.Jais in Bolzano was a maker at all or not just a dealer in Mittenwald instruments by several makers; and there's the story reported by Zunterer, that many of Sebastian Kloz instruments were falsely attributed to him (your's certainly is not a S.Kloz), and both led to rather random documentations in literature or websites. So I'm doubting that "similar to Johannes (Jais)" is possible to say at all.

So I would restrain to "similar o late 18th/early 19th Mittenwald making".

[Richf]

For a deeper dive on J. Jais, this discussion is very useful:  https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/332205-joannes-jais-violin-id/

 

[Michael Szyper]

Fun fact: my former workshop was based in Bad Tölz, 20 meters away from the former workshop of Andreas Jais, who worked until 1740 in Bad Tölz. 

[Christophe]

On 8/28/2025 at 12:55 PM, Michael Szyper said:

Fun fact: my former workshop was based in Bad Tölz, 20 meters away from the former workshop of Andreas Jais, who worked until 1740 in Bad Tölz. 

Just curious: What establishment now occupies the former workshop of Andreas Jais? I have a viola by that maker

[Michael Szyper]

On 8/31/2025 at 5:45 AM, Christophe said:

Just curious: What establishment now occupies the former workshop of Andreas Jais? I have a viola by that maker

I think it is an Airbnb