Violin Forum/Message Board

hillyer43 · Junior Member Joined: 27 Jan 2013 Posts: 11

I visited the Stradivari Exhibition today, which is on for 2 months in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, U.K. (I'm fortunate to live only 50 miles from there).
There are 21 Strads on display, including the "Messiah", the "Lady Blunt", the "Kriesler", the "Serdet", the "Baron Knoop", the "Alard", the "Habeneck" etc. In addition the "Archinto" viola and 3 cellos including the "Bass of Spain" are on display, together with a Strad guitar, a mandolin and a Dancing Master's violin.

It's without doubt quite breathtaking and anyone in the UK with any interest at all in violin making should go. The Ashmolean Museum website gives all the details.......John

kubasa · Member Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 212

I wish I could visit the museum but it's not going to happen. It sounds awesome. I'm hoping to be able to purchase one of the books when they are made available to the public.

John, did you purchase one of the books? I think they were listed at £60 but it sounds like it is well worth it from what I've heard and read. I'm just curious what you thought if you did purchase one.

Thanks -
James

Ken Pollard · Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:31 pm Post subject:

James,

I got the book in the mail a couple days ago. It was expensive for me, but not expensive for violin books, as you know.

Lots of really nice photos. I'd say it was worth it.

Ken

kubasa · Member Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 212

Hi Ken - where did you order it from? I did a search on Amazon but it didn't look quite right.

Ken Pollard · Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:57 pm Post subject:

James, I ordered it from the Ashmolean. Took about two weeks to get to my place in Idaho.

http://shop.ashmolean.org/Stradivarius-Jon-Whiteley/dp/185444283X

kubasa · Member Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 212

Ah-ha. Makes sense to go directly through Ashmolean. Somtimes I'm certainly not the sharpest crayon in the box. I was looking at this link on Amazon which seems to be the same thing but the cover looks different.

http://www.amazon.com/Stradivarius-Charles-Beare/dp/185444283X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373688953&sr=8-1&keywords=stradivarius+ashmolean

Thanks for the info Ken!

Andres Sender · Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 3:08 am Post subject:

Hi Ken!

Arches by chance?
_________________
You can only connect the dots that you have.

hillyer43 · Junior Member Joined: 27 Jan 2013 Posts: 11

James....I did purchase the £60 exhibition book and have no regrets. It is very well produced with excellent photos of all the instruments in the exhibition. As I'm quite close to Oxford, I shall be re-visiting the exhib. before it closes in August. The opportunity to see such instruments for the average amateur maker is rare indeed.......John

Janito · Member Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 114 Location: USA

The large-sized long arch views are unusual and interesting.

And I have found out that the Habaneck is by Francesco. It had left me with a 'strange' feeling a couple of years ago that I have commented on several times. Sounds F super.

Ken Pollard · Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 9:58 am Post subject:

Andres, no arches, no real measurements of any kind. There are both side views of the instruments, showing the long arches, which is interesting. In addition to the typical straight-on photos, including all 4 sides of the scrolls, there are some oblique shots.

I don't have any one book that shows Strads progressing from early to late in such detail, so that was useful to me.

Also interesting to me was to see just how offset the eyes(? ears?)* of several instruments were. The Messiah in particular. I had not noticed that asymmetry before. Perhaps a slightly different angle here than, say, the Strad magazine poster. Or perhaps I just didn't notice it before.

* Too early in the morning, and I can't get my terms straight. Anyway, not the straight-through-the scroll dowel, or barrel, shape that is mentioned in Courtnall and Johnson.

The book itself is hard-bound, about 3/4 inch thick. It is large format, a little bigger than 8-1/2" by 11". Not life-size, but contains full instrument shots as well as front and back details. Clean photography. Some introductory material on Stradivari and the Hills, with some nice historical photos there, including one of Casa Stradavari as it was in the 1870s.

60 UK pounds, plus 20 pounds shipping. Plus my bank's International exchange fee. Total for me was about $125.

Cliff Green · Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 3:52 pm Post subject:

I agree with everything Ken said about the catalogue. I too was surprised by the asymmetry of the scrolls. Many of the F holes seem to be set at different angles relative to the mid line as well. I wish they had included measurements, but I guess you can't expect the Biddulp Del Gesu book for the price.
I'm envious of those that have ready access to this exhibition. Perhaps you can give us some tidbits. Are the asymmetries as apparent in person?

violinarius · Member Joined: 14 Dec 2007 Posts: 171