viola
Johannes Theodorus Cuypers
built in The Hague in 1766
A viola, built by Johannes Theodorus Cuypers in The Hague, 1766. Body length: 40.4 cm.
History of this instrument
The Musical Instrument Fund was able to purchase this viola from a Dutch dealer in 2005 thanks to the support of a private foundation. Johannes Theodorus Cuypers, the leading representative of the 18th-century Hague school of violin making, crafted a fair number of violas, but they were usually no longer than 39 cm. With a back length of 40.4 cm, this viola is therefore quite unique. The viola was loaned to Laura Groenestein-Hendriks and later to Thu Nguyen Nguyet. Starting in 2011, Anna-Magdalena den Herder played this exceptional old Dutch viola. She was followed by Liselot Blomaard, and Minna Svedberg currently plays this instrument from The Hague.
About the builder Johannes Theodorus Cuypers
The Netherlands experienced two periods of prosperity in violin making. The first was in Amsterdam from 1650 to 1728; the second took place largely in The Hague, from 1760 to 1840. This peak was primarily due to the Cuypers family, led...
