ANOTHER STRAD?

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18366, 27 April 1925, Page 13

ANOTHER STRAD?

OLD VIOLIN AT REDCLIFFS. J f 1 ■ Probably if all the violins, thought '-■■'to*be genuine productions of the fam''Joua maker, Stradivarius, vr-ero built, bridge, it would reaoh many From time to time discoveries aire made, generally in antique shops, auction rooms, of violins", 'cellos, VjJr books which appear to possess a ; 1 ' value, and aro afterwards dis■£iSoverc*l, on expert examination, to be "JißSrelv facsimilies and forgeries. ',*< But' in Friday's issue of "The Press" ■ it was that a- Rangiora lady had, in her possession, a violin which might turn out to be'a genuine 'Strad. ' Pasted inside the violin in question is a label inscribed: —"Antoraus Strad- ' invarius, Cremonemis, Faciebat Anno, " 1743." The .figures 42 had been writ:i, .ten. in. "with ordinary ink, but the ref mamder of the inscription, including tie 17, is printed. An English authority states that Stradivanus's model :• lias been copied by many people. How- - «ver, a violin bearing the Stradivari '-" ticket, dated anywhere between 1667 and L 669. should be examined by an ; i expert as there was a reasonable chance of its being genuine. After the year 1698 Sttadivarius printed the first iigure of the date only and filled in ■*-4 he other three figures in his own ;• Jtandwritms. •4 On Friday afternoon Mr F. H. # Hodge, of MeCormick's Bay, lledcliffs, 'tailed at "The Press'' ofiire and told reporter that two vears ago he picked up a violin in an auction room. At the time the auctioneer remarked '• •Ihttb he Lad secured the best violin in * the city. Mr Hodge did not take any notice of the instrument then, but on reading the report in Friday's "Press," ho examined his -'■ violin closely and discovered that it 'is dated 1720, on a Strad label. As -Btradivarius died ini 1737 he considers ■that there might be a possibility of vliia instrument being a genuine Strad. %11he first figure is printed and the {"other three written.' Mr Hodge will enquiries from anyone who Jc&n throw any light on the question genuineness or otherwise of his tfjiahn, and also inspection of the instrutfment by anyone interested. J & t ~