1805 Franz (Franciscus) Geissenhof violin.
Very fine, rare, mature violin.
We acquired this full size Geissenhof violin in an estate auction in New England. It did not contain any documents with the violin. For this reason I have listed the violin at the low end of the value range for Geissenhof violins. As you probably know, they sell for a lot more. We are left to examine the violin itself and the sound it produces. The wood quality is exceptional, especially the maple back and scroll. The sound holes and scroll appear to match examples of known Geissenhof violins. The label matches what the Henley Dictionary says should be on the label. The top has quite a bit of wear and several repaired cracks that are properly cleated. Carving a date in the back of the violin is not common, but also not rare. I have seen a number of these where someone carves in the date they acquired an instrument. (The year 1807 is carved into the back of the bass C bout.)
(1753 – 1821)
Key founder of the 19th-century Viennese school. Geissenhof was born in Füssen (Allgäu) and moved to Vienna in 1772. He worked in Johann Georg Thir’s workshop as a journeyman and in 1781 took over his teacher’s business. His early instruments show Thir’s influence, although Geissenhof preferred a model with lower arching.
Around 1800 Geissenhof’s style changed noticeably: the outline, arching, shape of the f-holes and the scroll show the influence of Stradivari. Like most 18th-century Viennese makers Geissenhof used a dark, opaque varnish, but after 1800 he used a brighter, transparent varnish with reddish or light brown shadings.
SOLD
