Due Diligence Procedures in the Market for Fine Stringed Instruments
Maja Wegrzynowska is Director of International Sales and Vice-President of the Beare International Violin Society. She is also an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. The Art Provenance Research blog caught up with her to ask her about due diligence procedures in the market for fine stringed instruments.
A.G: Maja, for the most famous artists in the fine art realm, we rely heavily on catalogues raisonnés. Are there equivalent publications in the fine instrument world, or do you rely mostly on archival information? Would you say that monographs of notable makers are more common than catalogues raisonnés?
M.W: In the fine stringed instrument world, monographs of specific instruments are used more widely than catalogues raisonnés. These documents typically include information about the maker, photographs of the instrument, provenance and copies of certificates of authenticity. Publications similar to catalogues raisonnés, however, also play an essential role in synthesising, scrutinising and presenting expert research on the works of the great makers. J & A Beare, for example, is currently working on a book about the celebrated maker, Antonio Stradivari. This project, detailing over 900 Antonio Stradivari instruments, will be the most comprehensive catalogue of Stradivari's work ever published. This unprecedented work is the result of over five years of new research into a wealth of exclusive archival material, including W. E. Hill & Sons’ records, as well as support from international scholars and institutions. This publication can be considered as a catalogue raisonné and will assist generations of experts, musicians and collectors in their research into the master craftsman as well as help answer many questions about false attributions. We also hope that it can be a powerful tool to expand the fine stringed instrument world and capture the attention of art collectors not familiar with the sector.
A.G: Do you believe it to be quite straightforward when dealing with historical claims and restitution? What are the main obstacles? How often are you faced with questions of provenance and helping prove good title?
M.W: Dealing with historical claims and restitution is a challenging process as, without proof of ownership, a party lacks legal standing to make a successful claim. A large number of musical instruments, as well as important manuscript scores, were lost during the Second World War.
We are frequently approached by families who used to own important instruments. Often, receipts and certificates of authenticity have been lost, and knowledge about transactions has disappeared. Without evidence of each instrument’s specific characteristics, however, it is not easy to start the search as untold violins have been made every year since the 16th century. We always welcome any queries and are willing to assist with sharing information from our archive as determining the history of an instrument is an important, emotive and rewarding part of our work.
A.G: Let's pause on the notion of sound for a moment. Unlike paintings and sculptures, there is an added dimension to musical instruments, and that is the sound they make. How important is the analysis of sound when trying to establish the authenticity of an instrument? At which point of the research is this implemented and how?
M.W: Fine musical instruments are the only works of art that are worth millions and that are also a musician’s ‘tool of the trade’. Each of these remarkable works of craftsmanship has a unique voice, a ‘soul’, as well as a distinctive palette of tonal colours which respond to the artistry of the individual musician, offering countless interpretive possibilities.
In spite, and indeed, because of this, the sound is not taken into consideration when it comes to establishing authenticity, the same violin will sound different in different hands. Furthermore, instruments, which are not being played may "go to sleep," and take months to regain their desired tonal qualities.
While expertise, dendrochronology, varnish tests and CT scans are essential to understanding the condition and authenticity of an instrument and can help us to predict and diagnose its sound qualities, the relationship between the two remains wonderfully alchemical. There is nothing more beautiful than the sound of a fine Antonio Stradivari violin in the hands of a gifted artist, but the reason why remains a mystery that makers and scientists have been unable to solve for the last 300 years.
A.G: Can you share any stories that focus on the ownership saga or stories of previous owners with regards to an instrument?
M.W: Possibly the most thrilling story about instrument ownership concerns the Stradivari violin which Joshua Bell acquired from J & A Beare in 2001. W. E. Hill and Sons purchased the violin in the nineteenth century from an old French family, subsequently selling it to prominent English violinist, Alfred Gibson. In 1911, it returned to Hills and was sold to Bronislaw Huberman, world-famous violinist of his time. In February 1936, Huberman was performing a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall on his other Guarneri del Gesù violin. He left his Stradivari in his dressing room where it went missing for half a century. The thief turned out to be Juilliard trained violinist, Julian Altman, who only confessed to his crime in 1985, on his deathbed. His wife returned the violin to the authorities, whereby Beares verified its authenticity. Luckily, the violin was able to return to the spotlight. It has since been performed on by Norbert Brainin, first violinist of the Amadeus Quartet, and the current owner, Joshua Bell.
Thank you, Maja.
