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ANTIQUE LABELED CARLO ANTONIO TESTORE VIOLIN
MILANO 1740 ? LOUIS ROSENFELD TONAL RECONSTRUCTION ? 1935
Offered from the personal collection of Dr. J. Mizer, a professional violinist and instructor with approximately 60 years of experience, is a visually impressive antique violin bearing a Carlo Antonio Testore label dated Milano, 1740, together with a second interior label documenting a ?Tonal Reconstruction? by Kansas City violin maker and restorer Louis Rosenfeld in 1935.
With its dramatically figured two-piece maple back, matching flamed ribs and neck, warm amber-reddish varnish, and naturally aged appearance, this instrument has remarkable visual character and a fascinating history spanning both European and American violin traditions.
THE CARLO ANTONIO TESTORE LABEL
The interior Italian label reads:
?Carlo Antonio Testore, figlio maggiore del fu Carlo Giuseppe, in Contrada Larga al segno dell?Aquila. Milano, 1740.?
English translation:
?Carlo Antonio Testore, eldest son of the late Carlo Giuseppe, on Contrada Larga at the Sign of the Eagle. Milan, 1740.?
Carlo Antonio Testore was a member of the distinguished Testore family of violin makers active in Milan during the eighteenth century. The wording of this label corresponds with documented Carlo Antonio Testore labels found in other historic instruments.
THE 1935 LOUIS ROSENFELD LABEL
A second interior label states:
?TONAL RECONSTRUCTION
LOUIS ROSENFELD
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
1935?
Louis Rosenfeld was a documented violin maker, repairer, collector, and dealer who worked in Kansas City, Missouri. The label indicates that Rosenfeld performed what he specifically described as a ?tonal reconstruction? on this violin in 1935.
While the exact work performed during that reconstruction has not been independently determined, the dated label provides an important piece of the instrument?s documented history and demonstrates that it received professional attention from an established American violin craftsman more than 90 years ago.
VISUAL AND CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
? Two-piece maple back with exceptionally strong, broad flame
? Highly figured maple ribs and neck
? Spruce top with pronounced straight grain
? Warm amber-to-reddish-brown varnish
? Traditional carved scroll and dark tuning pegs
? Ebony fingerboard
? Modern tailpiece with four integrated fine tuners
? Adjustable black chinrest
? Currently fitted with bridge and four strings.
The beautifully figured maple is the visual highlight of this instrument. The broad flame continues across the back, ribs, and neck, creating a rich three-dimensional appearance as the violin is viewed from different angles.
CONDITION
The violin displays visible age-related wear, surface marks, varnish wear, and evidence of previous work consistent with an antique instrument that has been used and maintained over many years.
The photographs form an essential part of the condition description. Please examine them carefully and request additional close-up images before purchasing.
This violin is offered as an antique instrument bearing a Carlo Antonio Testore label dated 1740.
The second label documents a tonal reconstruction attributed to Louis Rosenfeld?s Kansas City workshop in 1935.
SHIPPING AND INSPECTION
The violin will be carefully packed, fully insured for the purchase price, and shipped with signature confirmation. Local inspection or pickup may be arranged by prior agreement.
Additional photographs of the labels, scroll, interior, corners, edges, top, back, and any specific area are available upon request.
A visually captivating antique instrument with outstanding figured maple, a historic Italian maker?s label, and a documented 1935 tonal reconstruction by Louis Rosenfeld?an exceptional violin for the serious player, collector, dealer, or specialist seeking an instrument worthy of further study.
