Violin by J. N. Lentz, London, circa1805
This violin has now sold.
About Johann Nicolaus Lentz
Johann Nicolaus Lentz is a maker whose work is little known. He was born in the Tyrol and emigrated to London, getting married to Elizabeth Millard in 1784 at St Martin in the Fields and christening their son John Frederick Lentz in 1787. Young John Frederick also grew up to be a violin maker.
About the violin
This violin was made around 1805 in London and is the second violin that we have had in the shop by this very rare maker: the other violin can be seen
here. This one was made for John Betts and bears his stamp below the button. Not wanting to go without credit for his work, Lentz cheekily signed the inside of the belly!
This is one of the very earliest copies of a del Gesù that we have seen: the f holes in particular demonstrate the influence of this model. The two piece back is of highly flamed maple and the front is two pieces of straight-grained spruce. The varnish is a rich, chocolate colour and the length of back is 352mm.
How does it sound?
The violin is a joy to play as it makes the job easy! It has a rich, full sound with amazing flexibility. It is currently set up with a combination of Evah Pirazzi and Obbligato strings as these complement the rich yet powerful characteristics of the violin.