Fine Stradivarius copy violin, Wilhelm Ficker, Markneukirchen

This premium 1920s violin from Markneukirchen has a distinctively lovely aesthetic. It was crafted in the well-respected atelier of August Wilhelm Ficker, whose original label was placed inside on the top block somewhat out of sight. Wilhelm Ficker ranked amongst the finest masters in his wide-reaching family tree, a name that earned itself a solid position in the history of Saxonian instrument making. After his apprenticeship with Herrmann Dölling sen., he spent seven years as an assistant to August Riechers in Berlin. August Riechers’ workshop was the atelier of choice for Joseph Joachim and his students and as well as a site that was regarded as the "academy for young luthiers." Consequently, this particular instrument, which was made in the fifth decade of Wilhelm Ficker's work at his own atelier, still shows the outstandingly cultivated sense of style and the flawless craftsman quality at the high standards he acquired in Berlin as a young master and brought back to his home in the Vogtland region in 1880. The rather broad model is based on a template by Antonio Stradivari and features excellently executed margins in an unmistakably Cremonese style. The powerful flames of the two-piece maple back self-confidently highlight the quality of the tone woods selected for this instrument, whereas the dark golden-brown varnish gives the violin its articulate character with charming crackling and antiquing that was successfully achieved to a degree which is seldom seen. The small delicate scroll and moderately arched table are the work of a confident hand that worked in fine detail. Kept in perfect and undamaged condition, this nearly hundred-year-old Wilhelm Ficker violin can be recommended with its large, warm and powerful sound. Its well-balanced, dark character and superb balance allow performers to interpret music with great precision.

 

 

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