This like-new German violin was crafted in 1960 at the now German ateliers of the formery Schönbach-based violin maker Karl Höfner (1864-1955), who in his day became one of the leading export companies for stringed and plucked instruments of all kinds. The original label with...
This like-new German violin was crafted in 1960 at the now German ateliers of the formery Schönbach-based violin maker Karl Höfner (1864-1955), who in his day became one of the leading export companies for stringed and plucked instruments of all kinds. The original label with the logo “KH Schutzmarke [trademark] Antonius Stradivarius Made in Germany” on the inside of the instrument is a reflection of this impressive success which continued even after the Höfners were forced out of the Sudetenland into exile. In 1947 they re-founded their company in Möhrendorf near Erlangen, and in 1951 they moved it to Bubenreuth, where it remains to this day. The Karl Höfner violin here is a great example of the flawless quality of Höfner instruments, a trait that accounted for the rapid ascent of the ateliers. The instrument is a successful replica of a Stradivari, whose distinctive style with vertically aligned sound holes is well executed. A dark red-brown varnish covers the sycamore maple of the back and the medium grained spruce of the top. Meticulous purfling round out the handmade character of this perfectly preserved violin, which is of good quality craftsmanship. This German replica of a Stradivari violin has been worked over in our atelier and has a voice that is mature, clear and rich in overtone— a tribute to its predecessors.
