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 |