LYON & HEALY'S CATALOGUE RARE OLD VIOLINS FORTY-FIFTH YEAR ALSO THEIR CELEBRATED CREMONATONE NEW VIOLINS /f OJ LYON & HEALY WABASH AVE. AND ADAMS STREET CHICAGO - i 4 3Qtmtttb wxh 5term& We take pleasure in presenting this edition of] other similarly priced violin in our collection for one our catalog of Rare Old Violins, — which marks the year from date of first sale. Any old violin may, 45th year of our business. be returned AT ANY TIME and the full amount It has been our aim since its inception to keep will be allowed toward the price of a better instru­ our collection of fine old Violins up to the highest ment. possible standard of excellence. OUR PRICES in this catalog are NET. In pursuit of this policy our violin connoisseur OUR TERMS are cash or easy monthly pay­ has made many European trips for the purchase of ments. If the latter we expect a cash payment of instruments, and we have spared no expense to keep about 20 per cent, and the balance divided into our collection well stocked at all times with choice monthly payments extending over a period of two specimens; and the public has rewarded us with years, to bear 6 per cent interest per annum. A its confidence and patronage, for which we are minimum payment of $5.00 per month is expected deeply grateful. We bespeak a continuance of on the purchase of instruments of low price. patronage for the future. We take violins in exchange at their full value to Our present collection is rich in gems, some of us, and will be glad to give information on this point which are unequaled in the violin world. We to any one who is interested. seriously doubt our ability to ever again bring to­ We gladly send several instruments on approval gether its equal, owing to the increasing scarcity of to any one furnishing us with the usual business fine specimens. reference. Our prices are as low as is consistent with the When one or more violins are retained, we pay high character of the authentic instruments we the express charges on those returned. offer. We trust, however, to the intelligent dis­ Instruments are sent C. O. D. when desired. crimination of the public to appreciate the superior­ Where the selection of an instrument is left to ity which exists between the representative genuine us, it is our invariable custom to send the very best specimens of our collection and the countless we have for the price named. Therefore any one "fakes" and imitations which are masquerading living at a distance is as sure of conscientious treat­ under false colors, and offered as genuine instru-; ment and of satisfaction as if he were in our store ments, the country over. making his own selection. We are very careful that our representations be Any one reposing such confidence in us is certain borne out by facts, and we assure every purchaser to receive full value for his money, — the very best of satisfaction with any violin or instrument he the house affords. buys of us. He has the option of exchange for any LYON & HEALY. LYON &* HEALY MUSLCAL HANDBOOK. Our Complete Musical Handbook—323 pages, descriptive of high­ est grade Instruments and Sundries — sent free on application. LYON & HEALVS CATALOGUE RARE OLD VIOLINS FORTY-FIFTH YEAR ALSO THEIR CELEBRATED CREMONATONE NEW VIOLINS No. 2176 Antonius Stradivarius, 1697 straight and is mottled here and there with those peculiar flashes which are also found in the Guar- While not so famous or beautiful as some of nerius and Stradivarius tops. Amati appears to the Stradivari violins which have passed through have had a supply of this spruce on hand which our hands in recent years, we consider this one he employed in some of his finest instruments. of the best in tone that has ever been in the Its tone is as beautiful in quality as the best Lyon & Healy collection. The size is large,' of Stradivarius' work. A violoncello of the being full fourteen inches in length with pro­ same period, exhibiting a belly evidently cut portionate measurements across the upper and from the same piece, is in the possession of lower bouts. Stradivarius, at the time this in­ the eminent cellist, Mr. Bruno Steindel. The strument was made, was about fifty-three years Goding-Amati is covered with coating of a of age and rapidly approaching his prime. He magnificent varnish of golden brown color, was gradually drawing away from the model of the texture of which is soft and the even­ his great preceptor, Amati, and developing the ness and skill of its application invokes the ad­ famous models of the Golden Period. The wood miration of the connoisseur at a glance. It form­ used in this specimen is of the rarest beauty, ed a part of the famous James Goding Collection, that of the back is in one piece and of close, to which the King Joseph Guarnerius also be­ small figure. The wood in the sides matches longs. Both passed into the possession of Mr. that of the back. It is of the finest quality James Plowdon at the death of Mr. Goding. Mr. used by this great master. The varnish is of Goding had it from M. Vuillaume of Paris, who a beautiful deep red, shaded in places by wear. in turn had it from Tarisio. The sale of the God­ The tone is more than ordinarily beautiful in ing collection took place at Messrs. Christie & quality and large in volume. It is a superb vio­ Manson, St. James Square, on Friday, Feb. 20, lin for an artist for it has all the tonal attri­ 1857, at two o'clock. At the death of Mr. Plow­ butes he can desire. The indescribable beauty, don it passed into the possession of Mr. William symmetry and grace of form, synonymous with Cramer, an enthusiastic collector, and was sold by a genuine Stradivari, is in this case emphasized him to Mr. Stephenson. It next passed into the by the remarkable state of preservation of the possession of Mr. George Hart, and was bj7 him instrument. sold to Mr. John P. Waters, of Brooklyn, who also bought the King1 Joseph Guarnerius afterwards. Price $8,500.00 He sold the Amati to Hart & Sons, London, who, on Sept. 20, 1876, sold it to Mr. Hawley." At the death of Mr. Hawley the entire collection was sold to Mr. Ralph Granger of San Diego, Cal­ No. 2155 Nicola Amati, Cremona, 1662 ifornia, from whom we secured it. We shortly The Goding-Hawley Amati. This, the most afterwards sold it to a Chicago gentleman, one of famous of all Amati violins and the most beau­ our leading amateurs and music lovers who very tiful in point of wood, workmanship and tone, is recently, desiring to obtain a quartet of fine in­ a true aristocrat in the violin world, having al­ struments, gave it back to us in exchange. In ways been identified with the world's most famous point of preservation this violin is very unique. collections. A full and complete history of this Owing to the good care it has always received it violin with a biographical sketch of its celebrated is to-day in a condition like new. It has not a maker is to be found in the "Hawley Collection crack, or a patch, or any new wood in it except of Violins," with a history of their makers and a the neck grafted into the beautiful original old brief review of the evolution and decline of the scroll in London some years ago. It is a concert art of violin making in Italy, 1540-1800. A splen­ instrument of the rarest description. Shortly did idea of its appearance may also be obtained after we obtained the collection all the violins there, owing to the perfection of the colored pho­ were tried by the famous violinists Messrs. tographs. We quote briefly from the description Kreisler and Jacques Thibaud, both of whom given: "The back is formed by a single piece of chose the Amati above all the other violins. The maple which for beauty leaves nothing to be de­ pattern is large, it being one of the largest of sired. The belly is also in a single piece instead the famous grand pattern instruments made by of the usual two. The grain is wide and very Lyon & Healy's Rare Old Violins Amati. It is larger in every measurement than No. 2160 Sanctus Serafino, Venice, the King Joseph and exactly the same in length as the Jarnowich Guarnerius, date 1741, and much about 1725 broader in both upper and lower bout. It is uni­ versally regarded as being one of the most beau­ Serafino was one of the most exquisite artists tiful in appearance of the famous old Cremona who flourished in all Italy. Not even Nicola masterpieces. Amati, his great master, was more deft of hand or keen of eye. In his best instruments he almost Price $6,000.00 invariably followed the Grand Pattern of Amati, of which this instrument is a representative speci­ men. The same arching is present and the same beautiful formation of corners and edges. The wood employed is similar to that used by Amati No. 2206 Giovanni Paolo Maggini, and of the finest possible description, both for beauty and acoustic qualities. This extraordinary Brescia, about 1620 instrument has neither cracks, patches, nor other defects, indeed it is marvelously well preserved. Of the violins which formed the celebrated It is covered with a gorgeous coating of deep Hawley Collection, one of the most famous was orange-colored varnish.