Interesting baroque violin by Johann Georg Sandner, c.1800

The authenticity of this Schönbach Baroque violin for sale by Johann Georg Sandner – with its original neck, bass bar and veneered fingerboard – is a serendipitous find, as is its full, clear, warm sound.

It is quite rare for a Baroque violin to have been kept in such good original condition as this instrument by Johann Georg Sandner. Its neck has not been grafted; the fingerboard has a veneer; and the bass bar is still the same one authentically crafted by its maker. A member of a large family of luthiers in the instrument-making town of Schönbach near Eger in what is now Czechia, Johann Georg Sandner represented the artisanal approach to violin making at a time when mass production of instruments underwent its unparalleled rise and turned the “music corner” region in Bohemia and Saxony into an international manufacturing venue for violins and other instruments. Especially when seen in this context, the baroque violin presented here is an unusually beautiful example of the traditional standards which Johann Georg Sandner mastered with mature self-assurance. Framed by flawless purfling, the moderate to fine grain of the spruce top and the magnificent flames of the one-piece maple back reveal at a glance the outstanding quality of the tone woods Sandner chose and the care with which he handled them. For such a full and powerful sound to be at home in a baroque violin of such light weight shows how thoughtfully and detailed Sandner's approach was and what an excellent and responsive instrument he crafted: its voice is defined by pleasant warmth and lucid clarity in equal measure. Thanks to its very good crack-free condition with a minor repair at the right sound hole, this baroque violin, which has been thoroughly set up and made ready to play for Baroque literature, opens up musical options whose breadth and authenticity are only possible with very few historic instruments.