Violin Dendrochronology Laboratory ~ Peter Ratcliff

Interesting and busy day! I have tested a Venetian cello ca.1700, a Nicola Gagliano, an English viola d'amore ca.1735, a ca.1741 Carlo Bergonzi, and most excitingly, a violin by Pietro Guarneri of Mantua made from the same tree as 9 Stradivari! + a couple of unknown instruments.

In the past 2 weeks, 12 Stradivari, 5 Guarneri Del Gesu' and 3 Nicolo Amati have been tested. And those are only the good ones!!

20, That is, so far, the number of bellies of instruments by Antonio Stradivari made between 1692 and 1704, that came from the same log. I suspect there will be others...

Interesting, a Nicola Bergonzi violin made from the same tree as 6 Stradivari, made over 70 years earlier.

Tested 2 G.B.Guadagnini today. One from 1748 was made from the same tree as 2 separate violins by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù from 1744 and a G.B.Guadagnini from the same period. The other, a late example from 1780, was made from the same tree as two by the same maker, one from the same year, the other the previous year.

Another Stradivari from 1721, and another same-tree match to the "Lady Blunt" of the same year. This is becoming a habit! Ring growth in that tree is very distinctive.

One of the oldest violin fronts I have ever tested!

And another same-tree match to the Messiah!

That's what I call a good photograph..

Guadagnini week! so far 2 cellos, and 3 violins

Interesting session testing 15 wood samples of un-worked violin wood from the recent Tarisio London sale. Some from Roger Hargrave's old stock. Earliest date so far is 1851, most recent 1965.

I just tested a Roman violin by David Tecchler. I still find it amazing that wood that appears to be from the very same tree was used by Guarneri Del Gesu' in Cremona, and by Sanctus Serafin in Venice, when of course Italy was not politically the unified (more or less...) country it is now.

It's great when testing a supposed G.P.Maggini, that the result do not point to a later G.B.Rogeri, but instead opens up the possibility of it being a Gasparo Da Salo'...

Another Gagliano tested.

Old Parisian violin, Andrea Castagneri