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ROBERT HORNE
The earliest dated American stringed instrument. Robert Horne was active on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean during different times in his career as an instrument maker and wholesaler, however this instrument labelled “Made by Rob[er]t Horne, New York, 1757” is made of American woods, confirming everything that is said on the label. Perhaps more…
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NICOLO PAGANINI
George Patten’s preparatory work, 1832. George Patten’s 1832 portrait was remarked upon by Achille Paganini as the most lifelike depiction of his father. The portrait remained the property of the artist all his life before being purchased by W.E. Hill & Sons, and Paganini was so taken with it that he begged a copy that…
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WILLIAM VOLLER
Bronze statuette of Antonio Stradivari, London, 1894. The brothers William, Alfred and Charles Voller were all capable artists beyond their work as violin makers, and we have watercolour paintings in our archives by each of the three brothers, however William was the most capable artist. A number of still-life paintings, invariably of violin-related subjects survive…
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JACOB STAINER
A tenor viola, Absam, 1660. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has three Stradivari violins, good cellos but hitherto no violas of any note to form a string quartet for performance within the museum setting. By finding a suitable viola to fill their requirement it has transformed the musical potential of their playing collection. Jacob Stainer…
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The Magic of the Silver Swan
The Bowes Museum In 2023 the Bowes Museum held a landmark exhibition centred around their most iconic object, the life-sized automaton silver swan made by the “ingenious mechanick” John Joseph Merlin. His inventiveness was legendary in the late eighteenth-century, and directly inspired Charles Babbage’s invention of the ‘difference engine’ celebrated as the first computer. Amongst…
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RARE CHANCE TO TRY OUT A MASTERPIECE
It’s been a little while since I’ve been directly involved in a public sale of a Stradivari, in fact not since I was working with Kerry Keane at Christie’s in 2007. When I did, it got center-page coverage in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune and various related American papers. The violin was…
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BRITISH VIOLIN EXHIBITION, NEWARK 2015
In 2015 I was delighted to be asked to curate an exhibition of early British violin making as part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations of the British Violin Making Association. Instruments came from esteemed colleagues, Geoff Denyer, Charles Beare and elsewhere, but somehow I ended up bringing more than half of the instruments myself, with…
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THE INVENTION OF TRADITION: THE PRICE OF STRADIVARI VIOLINS
Over ten years ago I penned a long essay about the invention of tradition and the price of Stradivari violins. I’m fascinated about how the market works and how prices have developed over time and think its important to go as far back to the beginning in order to gather context for the modern market.…
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SCRAPHEAP ORCHESTRA
Some life experiences are unforgettable, especially those that your colleagues and clients will never let you forget. One of these was a lecture I gave at the British Violin Maker’s Conference at Dartington the morning after the workshop staff from Guivier’s had made sure I had far, far too much to drink. The other (at…
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RECORD PRICES OF THE PAST
The violin market is always looking to new world record prices as the inevitable progress of inflation mixes with the phenomenon of finite supply in a growing marketplace. However with the finest and most coveted instruments selling periodically for yet greater and unimaginable sums of money, it is easy for the market to become excitable…
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“THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE IN THE HISTORY OF THE PROMS”
The 2011 Proms season included a performance so secret that it was kept off the program, and many of the instruments kept under blankets until the moment of truth. Behind the scenes, the reasons for secrecy became ever more apparent. The concert wasn’t even televised in an embargo to keep the surprise till later. Instruments…
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GASPARO DA SALO ARCHITETTO DEL SUONO
The year 2009 marked the 400th anniversary of the death of Gasparo da Salo, one of the greatest makers of the sixteenth century, whose instruments influenced the future of the violin. I was delighted to be asked to speak at the Architetto del Suono conference which took place at Salo, on the shores of Lake…
