Models

Stradivari Violin

Violin family of Antonio Stradivari

Violin · Italy

The violins of Antonio Stradivari (Cremona, c. 1666-1737) are the most celebrated in the Western tradition, prized for their projecting, complex tone and refined construction in spruce and maple. Stradivari's output spans an early Amatise period, the experimental 'Long Pattern' of the 1690s, and the mature 'golden period' after 1700 that produced his most sought-after instruments. Surviving examples carry individual names and are held by museums, foundations, and leading soloists; several are cataloged here as exemplars.

Nicolò Amati "Brookings" Violin

1654 Nicolò Amati violin (Library of Congress)

Violin · Italy

The 'Brookings' is a 1654 violin by the Cremonese master Nicolò Amati, held in the stringed-instrument collection of the Library of Congress. Acquired in Europe on the advice of the virtuoso Joseph Joachim and presented to the Library in 1938, it exemplifies Amati's refined model and golden-amber varnish. Nicolò Amati was the teacher of a generation of makers, and instruments like this one shaped the Cremonese tradition later carried forward by Stradivari.

Stradivari "Messiah" Violin

1716 'golden period' Stradivari violin (Ashmolean Museum)

Violin · Italy

The 'Messiah' (Le Messie, also 'Salabue') is a 1716 golden-period violin by Antonio Stradivari, held by the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. It is famous for being the best-preserved Stradivari in existence: it remained in Stradivari's workshop until his death in 1737, passed to Count Cozio di Salabue in 1775, and was little played thereafter. Its varnish is almost unworn, the carving remains crisp, and the painted edge-work on the scroll survives intact, making it a primary reference for the appearance of a new Stradivari instrument.

Stradivari "Servais" Cello

1701 large-pattern Stradivari cello (Smithsonian)

Cello · Italy

The 'Servais' is a 1701 cello by Antonio Stradivari, among the jewels of the Smithsonian's instrument collection and named for the 19th-century Belgian cellist Adrien-Francois Servais. It is Stradivari's last instrument of the large 'bassetto' type used in the 17th century and one of the few of that size never cut down to the smaller proportions Stradivari standardized after about 1707. It is renowned for an exceptionally rich, powerful tone.