This illustration of a violin by Andrea Guarneri was published in The Strad, September 1975. The following text is extracted from the article accompanying the photographs:
Illustrated is a well preserved example of Andrea's work which bears its original label 1671, the final numerable being indistinct. This violin is described on Messrs William E. Hill & Sons' certificate as '...of Amati type, is of small dimensions, and typical of the maker's work.'
The back is of two pieces of maple having a flame, irregular in places, sloping downwards from the centre joint. There is a wooden pin in the upper and lower blocks at the edge of the purfling. The ribs are of similar wood to that of the back with the curl more regular, and that of the head is plain. In the majority of scrolls of this maker the cutting differs from those of Amati in a somewhat marked degree. The grooving is very perceptible in the sides, where those of Amati exhibit a noticeable and characteristic flatness. The table is of pine of pronounced and very open grain wider on the bass side.
The principal measurements of this Guarneri are as follows:
Length of Body - 13 13/16 inches
Upper Bouts - 6 1/4 inches
Middle Bouts - 4 5/16 inches
Lower Bouts - 7 13/16 inches
The colour of the varnish on the example illustrated is a medium brown, mottled around C bouts of the back.
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