German `Ole Bull´ circa 1890
This violin has now sold.
About Markneukirchen violins
Markneukirchen is a small town in the Saxony region of Germany which is famous for producing a great many violins, violas, cellos and bows. Markneukirchen was one of the main centres of German instrument making at this time and the town was one of the richest in the area of Vogtland thanks to its amazing productivity.
Markneukirchen is less than 10km away from Luby, its Czech equivalent. This lead to a great deal of crossover between the two towns. We can be sure that this instrument was made in Markneukirchen as the varnish is typical of that town: the makers of Luby often favoured a more red shade.
Markneukirchen remains active as a centre of violin making today, with over 100 different instrument workshops and a charming museum dedicated to its extraordinary history.
About Ole Bull
Ole Bull was a Norwegian soloist whose name was often branded onto workshop-made German instruments in order to endorse them. Ole Bull was the lucky owner of both a Stradivari and a del Gesù violin, the latter now known as the `Ole Bull´ as violins are often named after their famous players. You may be interested to see a copy of the `Ole Bull´ del Gesù which we have for sale.
About the violin
This violin was made around 1890. It is a workshop instrument, meaning that it was made by a team of highly-trained luthiers as opposed to an individual maker. The violin is modelled on the instruments of Stradivari and has a generous length of back of 361mm.
How does it sound?
The instrument plays well and would make an excellent upgrade to a handmade violin. It is even across the strings and offers a good range of tonal colour.
Condition
The violin has been well played but is in excellent condition.