Description
A fine English violin by Edward Pamphilon, 1680-1690 period.
Labelled: E.P. on the treble rib.
Edward Pamphillon was the head of a community of instrument makers spread across several villages on the road between Cambridge and London. As the head of the company he is the only maker whose work is identified, but it is likely that his relatives and colleagues all worked together to produce instruments of varied quality of the London trade. This violin is a very typical example from around 1680 and a label on the ribs appears to show his “small master’s” mark “EP” intended to demonstrate that he made the violin if dispute arose, but preventing him from competing with the retail shops that he wholesaled his works to. Much of Pamphillon’s work suggests influence from Dutch makers at the time, and he may have been a Huguenot immigrant from Flanders.
It is usual for Pamphillon’s violins to have lost their original heads, and this example has a good replacement that is sympathetic to his style. There is a trivial area of ancient woodworm damage to the ribs, but it is otherwise in an excellent state of preservation, expertly set up as a baroque violin, it is a viol with excellent tonal properties, and arguably the ideal instrument for a professional baroque musician in terms of sound quality, history and provenance. This violin is the subject of an article in the BVMA Quarterly, an online version is on my blog www.violinsandviolinists.com
Certificate: Our certificate available upon purchase.
Condition notes: There violin is in an excellent state of preservation. It is uncommon to find original scrolls on vioilns of the Pamphilon family, and this example is a modern copy. It has been restored to a baroque state. Length of back, 354mm.
Literature: This violin is the subject of an article in the BVMA Quarterly, an online version is on my blog www.violinsandviolinists.com
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