i; others, again, admit
that portions of these instruments are from his hand, and finished by
his sons or Carlo Bergonzi. There are, doubtless, many exceedingly
crude-looking instruments passing under his name, bearing dates
ranging from 1730 to 1737, in the making of which he has taken no
part; but, on the other hand, to deny that there are any works of
Stradivari having these dates is to deny established facts. He must be
an ill-informed judge of Violins who fails to recognise the hand of
the master in several splendid specimens of this period. The rich oil
varnish with which they are covered is precisely the same in quality
as that found upon the instruments belonging to other periods, and
which he used without exception throughout his career. It is, perhaps,
laid on less carefully, and its colour is more varied. In some
instances it is brown, and in others light red, the tone of colour
varying according to the number of coats. He seems to have used,
generally, more varnish upon these instruments than on his earlier
ones. The thickness of the coats is seen in those parts (on the back
in particular) where the varnish is worn and broken, caused, in all
cases, by the shoulder of the player and the lining of the case upon
which the back rests. It must be borne in mind that Stradivari had
reached a great age when he made these instruments, and he evidently
felt proud of his ability to continue his artistic labours after
passing his ninetieth year, from the number of Violins wherein, in his
own handwriting, he proclaimed himself a nonagenarian. It would not be
reasonable to expect to find so high a finish as in the instruments
made from 1700 to 1725, but even in these there is a finish distinct
from that of either his sons or Bergonzi. But, beyond this, there is
recognisable the splendid form, the masterly scroll, and the perfect
sound-hole. To say that Omobono Stradivari, Francesco Stradivari, or
Carlo Bergonzi had any share in these notable works, evidences hasty
judgment, if not ignorance of the style of those makers to whom these
instruments are attributed. The work of Carlo Bergonzi is now pretty
well understood; in England, particularly, we have some glorious
specimens. I need only ask the unbiassed connoisseur if he can
reconcile one of these instruments with those of Stradivari of the
period named. I have no hesitation in saying that there is not a
single feature in common. The work of the sons of Stradivari is less