violin
William, Alfred, and Charles Voller “Brothers”
built in London in 1894
A violin built by the Voller Brothers in London, 1894. A copy of a Guarneri del Gesù.
History of this instrument
This violin was loaned to the Musical Instrument Fund by a private individual in 2020. The owner had purchased the violin fairly recently at a London auction. The violin was built by the famous copyists, the brothers William, Charles, and Alfred Voller. They built this violin in 1894 on commission from the renowned dealer Hart & Son in London, in whose workshop the brothers had likely been employed that same year. The violin is a copy of the famous Guarneri del Gesù violin that belonged to George Hart. Since the violin joined our collection, Eva de Vries has been the fortunate player of this English instrument.
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...
