German Violin Circa 1950
This violin has now sold.
About Bubenreuth violins
Up until the end of World War II, Bubenreuth was a small town in Bavaria with a population of only 400. The fortunes of the town changed dramatically when its residents voted to extend a welcome to more than 1,500 violin makers. These luthiers were Germans who had been expelled from the Czech town of Luby, known up until then by the German name of Schönbach. The highly skilled makers quickly established Bubenreuth as the third centre of German violin making, after Mittenwald and Markneukirchen.
The Roth dynasty are perhaps the most famous of the violin making families who built a new life in the Bavarian town. Interestingly, they came not from Luby/ Schönbach but from neighbouring Markneukirchen, which now found itself part of Soviet East Germany.
About the violin
The violin is labelled W. Stollser, likely an instrument shop which bought in Bubenreuth instruments and inserted their own labels. This was a very common practice at the time: many European and American music shops bought in instruments in the white in order to varnish and label as their own.
The violin is modelled on the instruments of Stradivari and has a length of back of 357mm. The varnish is a rich red in colour, a reminder of the connection between Bubenreuth and the Czech workshops in Luby.
How does it sound?
This is a powerful violin which projects very well. It is even across the strings and responds well, meaning that it would make a very good partner for a violin student or an established player.
Condition
The violin is in perfect condition with no cracks.