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Antonio Stradivari (violin) Hammer – 1707

This violin belongs to Stradivari’s ‘Golden Period’ and bears an original label that reads ‘Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1707’. It is named after its former owner, Mr. Christian Hammer (1818–1905), a court jeweller to the Royal Family of Sweden. The back of the instrument is made of one piece of maple, cut on the quarter, with curls of medium width slanting slightly from the treble towards the bass side. The ribs and the head are made from a wood similar to the one used for the back, while the two-piece belly is made of spruce that is finely grained in the centre and broadens towards the edges. The varnish is of a warm red-brown colour over a golden ground. The violin maker Charles-Eugène Gand saw the violin in 1872 and recorded it as being in the possession of a Mr. Hammer from Paris.

More information: Antonio Stradivari Set 1, Volume 2, Page 280