Dendrochronology

Dendrochronology

Now the range of means available for appraising instruments is even more than vast than in the past, and for the past twenty years we have been able to benefit from a precious tool – dendrochronology. This tool allows us to date the rings in the front of the violin and to thus date the wood of the belly. It also allows us to group certain instruments together and also to determine the origins of the wood used. In addition, it can also be used to determine whether certain elements are original or if these have been restored.

Comparison performed between the dates written on the labels of 13 Italian violins from the 17th and 18th centuries and their respective dendrochronological dates:

Laboratory numbers Original violin maker Label date Measured
date
Missing
rings
Type of assembly
NECH-016 Gofredus Cappa 1688 1637 51 ans P
NECH-028 Giovanni-Baptista Guadagnini 1751 1741 10 ans CC-C
NECH-029 Joseph Guarnerius 1741 1736 5 ans CC-C
NECH-030 Antonio Stradivari 1727 1719 8 ans CC-A
NECH-039 Antonio Stradivari 1688 1671 17 ans P
NECH-045 Giovanni-Baptista Guadagnini 1760 1754 6 ans CC-C
NECH-056 (Lorenzo) Gio-Baptista Guadagnini 1745 1735 10 ans CC-C
NECH-066 Antonio D’Ambrosio 1798 1776 22 ans P
NECH-070 Joseph Guarneri fil. Andreae 1711 1707 4 ans CC-A
NECH-074 Francesco Zani 1761 1736 25 ans CC-B
NECH-084 Giovanni-Baptista Guadagnini 1774 1765 9 ans CC-B
NECH-094 Thomas Balestrieri 1768 1751 17 ans CC-A
NECH-292 Dominicus Montagnana 1729 1723 6 ans CC-C

 

Series of rings (binocular):
violon_dendrochronologie_en