What's in a Name? - A Guide to Labels Inside of Violins

Many buyers are influenced by the name on the label inside a violin, viola, cello or bass,and also the name branded on a bow.Sometimes these labels and brands are genuine and many times they are not. The practice of inserting labels and applying brands goes back 300 or more years. One can not assume that an instrument is the work of the maker whose name appears inside of the instrument by virtue of the label alone.This begees a major factor when considering a violin, etc of considerable cost. The names of Antonio Stradivari and Joseph Guarneri are the best examples of this practice of false labeling. In the professional violin field we have a saying: "The deaths of Antonio Stradivari and Joseph Guarneri amongst others did not stop them from continuing to make violins," or so it seems. A professional violin maker or appraiser will give very little weight to what is stated on a label and look for further evidence as to an instrument's authenticity or authorship.Evidence such as nationalistic style, consistency with the maker's own style as established by experts over the years by photographic examples (encyclopedias of violin makers) are the key clues to authenticating an instrument, and when all is said and done it can still be inconclusive.
Today making a false label is much easier thanks to modern day technology. One just has to scan a label from a book and print a copy on a laser printer or photo copy machine and "presto"a label ready to be pasted inside an instrument.
In the past it was more of a production to falsify a label, one had to write it by hand and make it look like a printed label in the makers style, or photograph one from an encyclopedia of violin makers, then have a printing plate or blockmade from which to print a label. The letterpress printing blockis sometimes the most difficult to detect as the method of producing a false label is the same method as used to produce the original maker's label.

Many times violinmakers see and work on instruments without labels and some are of very high quality and value.

Today on okay and all throughout the internet we see instruments which are represented to be by various well known makers, both ancient and semi modern and modern. An experienced eye can spot a ''fake'' immediately as it will not appear to be in that makers traditonal style with regard to details such as model, varnish style and color, body shape, scroll shape, etc. To the untrained eye and to one willing to trust the word of a seller, the prospective buyer enters into an area of very high risk. It could be a case of deliberate misrepresentation or a case of unknowingness due to the seller not being knowledgeable as to what he or she has.Bows also suffer from this type of misrepresentation. French and German makers are very often copied and stamped with names of famous makers. A maker's identification is usually done with a brand stamp which is burned into the stick at the frog position. Some of the most convincing copies were made during the two World Wars in Markneukirchen, Gernany (Saxony.) Some of these excellent copies have confused even the most knowledgeable experts. Today a bow can be stamped easily with a custom made brand stamp or a hot stamp machine with movable type. Again we see many misrepresented bows sold on the internet. They can range from newly minted bows from China to older German bows which were never stamped originally. There are also maker's names which are merely trade names and do not represent an individual maker. This gees under the category of "brand recognition." If you are considering buying a bow, look up the name in an encyclopedia of violin and/or bow makers. The important makers will be listed with full descriptions of their work. Of course it is possible to gee upon bows of makers who never were listed because they are too young to have been included or their output was very limited. Look up the name on a search engine, it will give you ample information upon which to make your decision. As an example: The name "Emile Dupree" stamped on a bow gives the impression that the bow was made in France, however it is really a German bow of intermediate to higher quality distributed by an American wholesale supplier. Some of these bows were even stamped "France" The word France is very deeply stamped on the underside of the stick near the frog to cover the word "Germany" The name Emile Dupree is a trade name, there is no such individual maker. Some clever sellers will list an instrument with the term "labeled" followed by a maker's name hoping that you will believe that it is the actual maker's label. This is a tricky bit of deception as the instrument is not being claimed as being the work of the maker named inside, it is simply a statement that the instrument is "labeled." The potential buyer should then ask the seller if the instrument is being represented as the makers personal work. If some kind of guarantee is not forthgeming the potential buyer should steer clear especially if a high dollar amount is involved. Unfortunately this practice is begeming all too prevelent on okay. Another description which is misused is the term "rare." This is quite often used to describe an old violin which was produced by hand. Actually the term "rare" historically refers to an extremely limited number of pieces produced or existing. This is a term used for instruments where fewer than 500 pieces were produced in totality. A more fitting term for sellers to use would be "scarce" which indicates that they don't gee to market with regularity and that they are no longer being made although there are a good number of pieces existing.

With the abundance of high quality Chinese violins the situation begees even more risky. Talented Chinese makers who were trained in Cremona and who have gone back to China to establish their string instrument manufacturing factories, are producing violins which are essentially very accurate Italian style violins, both in look and in sound. Less than honest sellers will represent these as modern Italian instruments or will distress the finish slightly to make them appear to be older than they really are. When you see an instrument which is claimed to be a modern Italian instrument and labeled as such, being offered at a substantially lower price than the fair market, you are probably witnessing a misrepresentation.

Authenticating an old instrument can be tricky also, as there are many old instruments in circulation which have labels of famous makers which are not the work of those makers which the label states. In the 19th century many hand made instruments from Germany were never labeled, and although many were of first class construction and made of the finest materials, they carry no clue as to the maker. These instruments are prime targets for receiving ficticious labels and many exist today with these false attributions. Authenticating this type of instrument can be challenging even for the experts who have often been misled in the past.
All great works of art have their imitators, fine string instruments are no exception and just as art collectors and museums have been fooled, so is the case with buyers of so called authentic string instruments.

Fine old instruments with a long written history of ownership begees part of the value of an authentic old instruments. This history which is verifiable gives the buyer of this instrument a security via its provenance.

When considering a high dollar investment in a fine string instrument, one must seek out a trustworthy and knowledegeable expert who will give you an honest opinion as to its origin. The operative words here are ''honest and opinion'' as one can not say for sure what an instrument is unless that person giving the opinion actually saw the instrument being made.

Ira Kraemer (okay: violins)