Antonio Stradivari “Back-Josefowitz” 1667c.

Nearly all the masterpieces from classical violin making, including those by Stradivari exhibited at the Museo del Violino, have been progressively deprived of their neck, fingerboard, bass-bar, soundpost and other original accessories over time in order to be adapted to changing musical needs.

One of the very rare instruments preserved from such ‘modernisation’ actions is the beautiful tenor viola made by the Cremonese luthier in 1690 for the Medici court, exhibited in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.

Few examples have been re-converted in contemporary times, reconstructing accessories and parts removed over time to restore them to the allegedly typical condition of ‘baroque’ Stradivarian construction practice.

The Back-Josefowitz violin of 1667 is one of these. Made by Antonio Stradivari at the beginning of his career, it has recently been the subject of in-depth studies and restoration work, aimed at re-proposing a possible appearance and sound consistent with the original. This project, developed by an international team of scholars and experts, has found its pivotal point in the study of the original models, drawings and other items from Stradivari’s workshop preserved and exhibited at the Museo del Violino.