Description
A small viola attributed to Aegidius Klotz (II), Mittenwald circa 1790 (LOB 386 mm – 15 3/16 inches)
Some years ago I had the delight of handling the sale one of the few violas in the world by Jacob Stainer, and getting to dig deep into the finesse of his making. With that in mind I was delighted to run into this small Klotz viola for although it is tiny by comparison, it is one of the relatively few instruments of the Klotz family that demonstrates a very direct connection to Stainer’s instruments during a period where they were steadily following their own pattern. For this reason it is rather confusing to get to the bottom of because it is in many ways ‘too good’ to be a Mittenwald instrument of the eighteenth century. For a while I wondered if it was a Nuremburg instrument instead, but the varnish and ground-treatment of the wood is definitive for Mittenwald and not to be argued against. As a small viola it benefits from a good breadth, and generous upper bouts that give it a better air volume than most for it size, giving it very pleasing power and projection. I’ve delighted in performing Mozart operas on it, which is precisely the music it was intended for, and it has had a long professional life with it’s last owner.
The Klotz family dominated violin making in Mittenwald in the eighteenth century, and there are something like thirty makers named Klotz, not including other family members and other makers within their close-knit group. In the past attempts to create a hierarchy for their instruments has led to a lot of mislabelling, and it is now extremely difficult to provide definitive attributions to any given instrument, even when it has a genuine label in it. The viola is sold as the work of the Klotz family, and probably by Aegidius II.
Certificate: Benjamin Hebbert
Condition notes: The instrument is overall in very good condition.
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