There is, in the National Archives of the French Republic, a document of exceptional interest for the history of the violin trade: the inventory of musical instruments seized by the revolutionaries in Paris in 1792. 1792 was the apex of the French Revolution, the year of its desperate fight to survive on a path to […]
The Work of Alfred Lanini
Winter
The Anoniazzi Influence Gaetano Antoniazzi, pupil of Enrico and Giuseppe Ceruti, brought the Cremonese tradition of his teachers to Milan in 1870. Gaetano Antoniazzi, along with his sons Riccardo and Romeo, trained Leandro Bisiach, and together with the Antoniazzis, Bisiach influenced the creation of a workshop environment that was to dominate early 20th Century Italian violinmaking. Departing […]
The Care and Preservation of Fine String Instruments
Winter
Editor’s note: We recently received the following letter from the director of a music center in Malta. Since it pertains to such an important topic, we sought the help of violinist and collector Ralph Wolin to share general guidance on the subject. I just purchased 14 old violins and a cello and from a local person […]
A Violin by George Gemunder With Original Bill of Sale
Fall
The Arensberg Gemunder violin, complete with receipt from the firm of George Kappel, Pittsburgh, June 2, 1890 is a rare example of unbroken provenance for a fine art object. We can presume that the 1890 sale of this Gemunder in Pittsburgh was the first retail sale of this violin with a label dated 1889. How […]
A History of the Arensberg Family Reminiscences of Charles Frederick Covert Arensberg (1879-1974)
Fall
Conrad Frederick Covert Arensberg purchased a handsome Gemunder violin in the summer of 1890. It still remains in the possession of his family. As the history that follows indicates, the Arensbergs may not be a “typical American family,” but their history parallels that of many of the immigrant families in America, past, present, and hopefully […]