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This violin most likely made by the firm of Duerer in Switzerland sometime between 1900 and 1910 is in excellent condition and possessed of a good open voice, quite mellow compared to other Duerers I've heard. The perfectly bookmatched birdseye figure in the maple back is somewhat rare, with most uses of this wood being in single piece backs. The wood used for the ribs matches, but the neck wood chosen was of a more conventional flamed figure. The spruce of the belly has fine and even grain. The arching typically narrow with deep perimeter scooping, something this company seems to have kept constant over some decades, as with the very fine purfling set extremely close to the outer edge. The Vancouver luthier Nezdropa left a repair note inside stating he'd restored it in 1952 - I've seen his work before, and this is typical of his tidy approach. Apparently he mended the loosened centre seam of the back and reinforced it with small spruce cleats all along that joint, doing quite a good job which has held well these past 65 years. A lovely violin, actually a bit darker than my photographs show it. The scroll was carved in a most unusual way; the lines defining the usual edge and centre ridge were applied, but then instead of smoothly scooping out the wood between these a flat-bottomed channel was carved leaving a very flat surface all the way around. Neatly executed but a bit odd looking. I'm left wondering what motivated the carver to do it this way.
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