Germany
European

Wood, ebony, metal 
ca. 1890s
Length of the body: 14.3 in
Strings – Lutes – Violin Family

Labeled ‘Joh. Bapt. Schweitzer / fecit at forman / Hieronym.Amati.Pestini 1813.’

This violin was most likely made ca. 1890 and was labeled ‘Joh. Bapt. Schweitzer / fecit at forman / Hieronym.Amati.Pestini 1813.’  A number of these violins were made in Germany and were sold throughout Europe. They are known for exceptional sound quality compared to other violins of the period.  The violin is well made with brown-red varnish over a golden ground, antiqued in the usual way seen in Saxon made instruments.  The straight spruce grain is fine and the two-piece maple back has fine flames.  This instrument is in very good condition and the tone is robust with quick response and easy playability.

Johann Baptist Schweitzer (1790-1865) was one of the finest makers of the Vienna school of violin making during a time that Hungary was a joint part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  He studied in Vienna with Franz Geissenhof and took up violin making around 1812.  In 1825 he moved to Budapest, where he remained for the rest of his life and taught various makers, including Gabriel Lemböck, Anton Sitt, Jan Baptista Dvorak, Samuel Nemessanyi and Thomas Zack, who succeeded him in his business.

Schweitzer followed different models, emulating Stradivari and Amati patterns, over the Stainer, with some authenticity, and his workmanship and materials were excellent.  Edgework and purfling in particular are neat and refined, while the scroll heads can be bulky compared to the other elements.  His string instruments were neatly finished and the varnish usually first-rate.  Schweitzer was an immense influence on the next generation of string makers in Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.