Very old and ready to play for another 50-100 years!
Possibly the only known surviving example of Mr. Steiner. There is zero information or examples on the internet of his work, that I can find.
The name / word Pelzl incribed on the back near the neck button. All my research points to a possible previous owner/collector.
YouTube Demo:
https://youtu.be/b95XVoEf50I
This violin is labeled Ludwig Steiner, shows a year of 17--, we're unable to make out the last digits. It's been repaired and ready to play again.
It was taken to be considered for auction by either Tarisio or Amati. It was reviewed and deemed acceptable. There was no reason to believe the violin was not by Ludwig Steiner.
The violin had 3-4 cracks properly repaired, new bushings, this appears to be the 3rd time bushing. The violin has had extensive repairs including rib crack, a top sound post patch, a back patch, and possibly more. We did replace a small missing area of purfling and perform a small graft of missing wood from the edge at the bottom.
The violin is completely sound and ready to play.
We decided to minimally touch up the violin. Why? Many buyers are asking for the violin to remain original and to show the battle scars. Also, touchup is an easy addition down the road if you wish to have the violin touched up.
Violin is in solid playing condition, and ready for its next 100 years!
It was dendro tested. We found the yougest wood to date from 1792 (apologies, I quoted 1793 in the demo.
Here are the dendro stats from Peter:
"Hi John,
Dendrochronology on violin labeled Ludwig Steiner from digital images.
I was able to collect decent measurements on the inside belly, where rings were generally clear.
The front is in 2 pieces jointed down the middle of the belly.
The ring orientations runs from the edges towards the centre joint.
I measured 110 rings on the bass side and 136 on the treble side.
The latest visible ring on the bass side dates from 1792 and the latest on the treble side from 1789.
A comparison of the ring patterns on a graph show a relationship, although there are some differences and deviation, as well as the bass side containing fewer rings. Therefore it seems unlikely at first glance that the 2 halves are from the same tree, although they could be from different parts/different levels of the same log, as their data correlate highly significantly with a high t-value of 10.2, which often indicates a same-tree match, especially if 2 pieces are from the same belly.
To get a more representative ring-pattern and since the 2 halves are related, I combined their data into a mean chronology.
The data were initially tested against published regional data from the International Tree-Ring Data-Bank (ITRDB) and numerous significant cross-matches were identified with Master references. The strongest suggest that the source of the wood is north of the Alps, possibly the Bavarian Forest as this regional reference obtains the strongest cross-match.
Against data from instruments, I get a strong, albeit generic response indicating that the source of this wood was exporting wood to different locations within Europe. The most significant cross-matches with instruments from my database are:A 1838 English guitar by Panormo, a Markneukirchen violin by J.C.Ficker, a c.1790 Bavarian violin of the Klotz school, a c.1780/90 Mittenwald violin, a Bavarian or Bohemian late 18th century violin, a c.1830 cello mid-European or Bohemian, a Markneukirchen violin by J.G.Hamm, a late 18th century Bohemian violin, a c.1820 cello possibly Lorenzo Ventapane, an English 19th century violin of the Lott school, a c.1730 violin attributed to the Dutch school, an1840 Austrian guitar by Georg Stauffer, an early 19th century French cello, a c.1840 cello attributed to the Neapolitan school, etc...
Essentially, with a latest ring date of 1792, the front of this violin could have been made from about the very late 1790s onward.
I'd love to see further pictures, I think it is from Saxony looking at the purfling, and could be a bit older than you think.
All the best,
Peter"
That was from the renoun Peter Ratcliff, dendro extrordinare!
Why purchase new or rent when pre-owned sounds just as good! Did you know you can buy a quality pre-owned violin like this, and typically sell for the same price if kept in good condition? It’s like having a violin for free. You’re welcome to play prior to purchase. I’m happy to meet at a local music store in Burleson for a second opinion. We’re located in South Fort Worth, Texas. We look forward to meeting you! Shipping is protected, so if what you get, doesn’t meet the description you can send it back.
Shipping available in the USA only via PayPal, RevivoViolins.com, or via Reverb.
Play on my friends!
