The Violin
The violin: its famous makers and their imitators. With numerous wood engravings from photographs of the works of Stradiuarius, Guarnerius, Amati, and others.
Antonio Stradivari is one of the best-known luthiers, or stringed instrument makers, in history. The National Museum of American History is proud to have five Stradivarius instruments (two violins, two cellos, and one viola) in its collection. This 1875 book was written by George Hart, a London instrument maker who owned a Strad violin himself, which he named the “Dolphin” because its appearance and coloring reminded him of the sea creature. Hart gives detailed information about Italian, French, English, Dutch, and German luthiers – including both famous masters like Stradivari, Amati, and Guarneri, as well as their imitators. Illustrations show the variety of violins made over the centuries. The author also provides a history of the violin along with interesting anecdotes about the instrument. Preserving this important work will support research for 2019, designated as the Smithsonian Year of Music, and for many years to come.
This late 19th century volume is re-bound in green buckram. The original bookcloth stamping of a violin is attached to the new cover. The sewing is failing with a detached section in the middle of the textblock. The title page is detached and plate 22 is torn. Conservators will remove the textblock and re-sewn the volume. The cover will be re-created to be more sympathetic to the original cover color. The damaged plate will be repaired.
Discover more about this book in our Catalog.
Adoption Type: Preserve for the Future
