violin
William, Alfred, and Charles Voller “Brothers”
built in London
A violin attributed to the “Voller Brothers,” made in London in the late 19th century. It bears a “Stradivari” label.
History of this instrument
In May 2019, Jochem van Eeghen, chairman of the “Van Eeghen Foundation” (The Musical Instrument Fund), called because he wanted to come and discuss the donation of two exceptionally beautiful violins. Around 1940, Jochem van Eeghen’s grandfather inherited both violins from Joan Adriaan Hugo van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1854–1940), a conductor and, among other things, co-founder of the Residentie Orkest. It was Van Zuylen’s wish that the instruments would continue to benefit Dutch musical life. This led to the establishment of the Van Eeghen Foundation, which managed the violins for many years and loaned them to numerous talented violinists under the chairmanship of Jochem van Eeghen. The Van Eeghen Foundation considers the Musical Instrument Fund to be the appropriate organization to ensure that the violins continue to benefit Dutch musical life in the long term. The donation of both violins was formalized at the end of 2019. Sanne Hunfeld was the first to play this 19th-century English violin. Currently, the violin is in the hands of Adinda van Delft.
About the builder William, Alfred, and Charles Voller “Brothers”
Well into the twentieth century, “The Voller Brothers” were associated more with deliberate deception, forgeries, or other unethical dealings than with honest, conscientious violin makers. The recognition that they were exceptionally...
