Name of Instrument: violin

Maker / Brand: Joseph Rösch

Stearns Catalog #: 2117

Country of Origin: Mittenwald, Germany

Region of Origin: Europe

Instrument Category: Chordophone

Date of Fabrication: 1759

Location:

Description: This is rare and unusually well preserved example of an original Baroque Violin; only the fittings and fingerboard are reproductions. It bears its original handwritten inscription on the table adjacent to the top-block that reads, "Joseph Rösch geigen M. / in Mittenwald 1759 / an Der Iser". The violin retains all original features including the neck, bass-bar saddle, interior linings, and blocks. The original plain maple neck terminates in a peg-box and closed scroll with two volutes. The varnish is of a dark reddish-brown color.

The neck and body are very much in today's standard proportion with a neck length of 13.0 cm and a table measurement of 19.45 cm. In the arching, with a relatively low elevation and flat breast area, the highest point of the table lies on the bridge. The neck is secured by a single nail with a "clover leaf" pattern head with three rounded lobes. This instrument was displayed at Lincoln Center Library and Museum of the Performing Arts in New York City in 1989. It has also been scheduled for exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution.

Research: William Monical & Stearns Staff