violin

This violin was loaned to the Musical Instrument Fund in 2006 by a private individual from The Hague. He had purchased the violin in 1959 from violin maker and dealer Johan Stüber, who provided a certificate at the time of sale in which he described the violin as the work of Petrus Guarnerius of Mantua. Stüber was apparently not the only one who held this opinion, as the violin is also described as the work of this maker in the book *Die Geigen- und Lautenmacher* by W.L. Freiherr von Lütgendorff, published in 1922. In 2004, the owner first contacted the Musical Instrument Fund to discuss the possibility of a loan, during which the violin was examined by various experts at the request of the Musical Instrument Fund. These experts reached a different conclusion than Lütgendorff and Stüber. In their opinion, the violin was not built by Guarnerius, but by another Italian maker (possibly Alessandro Mezzadri, early 18th century), whose identity is difficult to determine. Consequently, the violin is now listed as an “anonymous Italian violin.”
This kind of evolving understanding, in which previous expert opinions are overturned, has become more common in recent decades. However, the differing opinions regarding its origin do not detract from the instrument’s qualities. Since its inclusion in the collection, the violin has been in the hands of highly talented violinists. Barbara Boeters was the first to play the violin. In 2009, it came into the possession of Piotr Jasiurkowski, who, among other things, recorded a CD with the violin titled “A Virtuoso Violin.” From 2016 to 2019, Saskia Otto was the fortunate player, after which the violin was chosen by Charlotte Spruit.