The Marsyas Paradox and its contribution to the origin of the violin.
From the late medieval period and right the way through the Renaissance we see an abundance of images of Apollo and Orpheus playing the lyre,
The Trumpet and Lyre in Jacques Besson’s Theatrum Instrumentorum et Machinum
Jacques Besson was born a protestant around 1540 in Grenoble. In 1559 he published an alchemical book about how to extract oils and waters from
Hogarth and the Senses: Music at William Hogarth’s House, my virtual musical exhibition.
For six months in 2025, Hogarth’s House in Chiswick is hosting a wonderful exhibition in collaboration with St Mary’s University in West London. It’s a
Knowledge Exchange: Newark School of Violin Making.
I’ve been working for years with Peter Sheppard-Skaerved at the Royal Academy of Music on numerous projects about understanding and interpreting the history of the
FORENSIC CASEBOOK: A Storioni label that almost had us fooled.
Recently I was asked to take another look at a violin I have known for many years. It has the outward appearance of being late-Cremonese
FORENSIC CASEBOOK: Alternatives to UV photography to illustrate varnish restoration.
Ultra Violet light reflects off the surface coatings of an instrument, which is normally very helpful for being able to see evidence of retouch and
Camillo Sivori: Hearing the ghost of Paganini
It was long before lockdown that my good friend Andrew Krastins swore solemnly swore me to secrecy during one of our periodic meet-ups at Rules
“That Neat Kind of Acer”: Sources for Italian maple in 1669
Balkan maple is particularly prized for violin making, but it’s reputation ultimately relies on violin makers regarding it as a good and logical match for
Pernambuco in 17th century Amsterdam
Our understanding of the use of Pernambuco wood for violin bow making suggests that it did not really come into vogue until the end of
FORENSIC CASEBOOK: Crack repairs covered by a varnish that becomes opaque under ultraviolet light.
The violin in question was made by John Frederick (II) Lott (b.1804, d.1870). He is known as Jack Lott to differentiate him from his father,
FORENSIC CASEBOOK: Detecting half-tone lithography on an obscured label.
Recently a colleague brought to us a German nineteenth century violin with a manuscript label written in kurrentschrift (not sutterlein, as we reported originally) which
FORENSIC CASEBOOK: High levels of carbon in printer’s ink illuminated through the back of a violin at 850nm.
Violin by Jack Lott, c.1860 Of interest, we can see that the printer’s ink used to make the copy of a Stradivari label has a
James Tubbs & The Elgar Bow
Amongst the great composers, Edward Elgar’s intimacy with the violin stands out. In his compositions he is one of very few to be specific in
A Violoncello by Barak Norman, London, 1704
Barak Norman (1651-1724) is one of the most distinctive and interesting makers of the violoncello, and this is one of the most beautiful examples of
Vitruvian Man, the braccio, the gamba and the beginning of the violin.
In the last twenty years François Denis’ Traite de Lutherie has revolutionised the way that we understand the geometry of Cremonese violin forms, but there
Michelangelo, Marco Girolamo Vida and some art-historical foundations for Andrea Amati…
A long read: We tend to fall into the idea of Andrea Amati and the invention of the violin as happening in isolation – there
Andrea Amati, the Campi family and the artistic milieu of 16th Century Cremona.
At length, I hope to write more on my interest in the lyric and narrative poets of Cremona in the early 16th century, and the
Andrea Amati and the Spanish Set.
The first thing that I would like to do is to wholeheartedly commend the brilliant work of Marie Radepone, Jean-Phillipe Échard and their colleagues for
Markneukirchen 1906: villages of violin makers
Where did your century-old violin with a fake Stradivari come from, and what does it mean to be a German “trade” of “factory” fiddle? The
It woz me wot done it…
What a delight to see my homage to Larson going viral on the interweb. It’s something I did for a few friends but it escaped
The Scandal of the Cellist and the Washtub.
In the age of social media, a reproduction of a nineteenth-century image has been doing the rounds that has caused an unexpected reaction in the
Pernambuco: Help save the tree of harmony
Back in 2018, before the pandemic, I attended a meeting in Cremona of many representatives from professional violin and bow making associations around the world
Josquin in England: Some additional notes.
Some years ago in 2010, I was invited to examine a Tudor-period English painting by the anonymous Master of the Countess of Warwick, to determine
Spoliation and the violin trade: A 21st CENTURY DEALERS VIEW
In 2022, the Philharmonie de Paris hosted a conference on “The spoliation of musical instruments in Europe, 1933-1945”. I was privileged to have been encouraged
Some British women in the violin-making world, 1550-1750.
This was intended as an article for the 100th Issue of the British Violin Making Association’s Newsletter. However a deep dive into history brought surprisingly
Violin making in Northern Europe in the time of the Amatis: Part 2
Some years ago I was involved in a project with the British Museum to contextualise their most significant work of medieval wood carving, a citole
Violin Making In Northern Europe in the time of the Amatis: Part 1.
VSA Attendees: These TWO blogs are very roughly presented, but outline the substance of the talk I could have given. I look forward to the
Lt. Colonel Joh Stewart and the Jacobite violin-maker
A group of cellos and a viol provide clues that point tantalisingly towards being made for Scottish Jacobite rebels in the early eighteenth century. Benjamin
Musicians in a time of Plague: London 1665.
Times are hard for us musicians and people in the musical trades. No one’s buying violins when two months worth of gigs have been cancelled
Fake or Fortune: Is it a real Stradivarius?
Every year we have dozens of people getting in touch to tell us they think they’ve found a priceless Stradivarius violin. Before you get excited, here are
