Stump The Chump

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Originally Posted by Ken McKay

Any similarites here?

Yes, all four have f-holes.

[Ken McKay]

Arnolds post should have been first to give Mr Smith a clue.

Got to admit though this is fun. I should have said the rules up front.

1. if you know the answer, hold out for a while.

2. You don't have to be an expert to play.

3. any little guess is fair game.

Framing the ff holes and it is possible to see the similarities that get lost ordinarily in the overall shape, varnish, etc...

Yes these are all Lorenzo Strorioni instruments.
Clockwise from top right: Ken's cornerless, 1778 cello, 1780-85 violin, 1791 double bass from a photo in strad. The rest of the photos are on cozio.

[Ken McKay]

Look at the next post for the montage.

Left photo is from an L Storioni 1/2 sized violin 1793 http://www.usd.edu/smm/Violins/Stori...oniViolin.html

Top right is a L Storioni 4/4 violin 1782 listed for sale at Kolstein http://kolstein.cybrhost.com/mm5/mer...ry_Code=violin

Bottom left is L Storioni viola "probably" http://www.artfact.com/catalog/viewLot.cfm?sample=4419

Bottom right L Storioni violin 1781 http://laurentius_storioni_cremona.geigenmacher.eu/

[Ken McKay]

Here is the montage

[Ken McKay]

For those interested in violins and music in general Arnold Steinhardt wrote a great book about his life and choosing his L storioni violin over a dG . It comes with a cd of him playing Bach. The violin is a cut down viola and looks odd, but the sound is from heaven. It has a smokey voice that I really like.
http://www.amazon.com/Violin-Dreams-.../dp/0618368922

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken McKay

Here is the montage

Nothing is similar to me except that they are all violin family instruments. They are all different. If these are supposed Storioni's as in the first group of 4, how do we really know that they are actual confirmed Storioni's? Because they are claimed to be?

[Ken McKay]

I see the similarities in the second montage. The shapes, curves are similar. The one from Sobethys is "labelled" and is the most suspect.

Bottom right is either genuine or a great copy.

Top left is in the National Music museum, a pretty trusted museum.

Top right is for sale at Kolstein and has a statement " This most rare violin is available with a certificate from the late Jacque Francais of New York"


Bottom left is "labelled Laurentius Storioni fecit Cremonæ 1773".

edit) I can't turn off italics, sorry... I realize that you are right about in stating that they might not be genuine and I have no way of knowing either way except guessing from the description. Isn't it true that there are clues to the authenticity in the descriptions? The one at Kolstein for example has a certificate that is from the late JF, what about any recent certificates? Has it been disputed since?

[Ken McKay]

Ok then look at the four plus a P Guarneri of Venice from the same period.

I see differences, smaller wings for example.