The Varnishes of the Italian Violin-Makers of the Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, and Their Influence on Tone #232878

The casual observations which led to the interesting research which forms the subject of this Treatise came as a "bolt from the blue."<br><br>Experts who have had constant opportunities for studying the varnish on old Italian instruments have, without exception, accepted the theory that it is an oil-varnish coloured to suit individual taste, although in no single case have their own descriptions of its appearance been found to support this conclusion; various reasons and excuses have been suggested why modem violin-makers have been unable to reproduce it.<br><br>No scientist or chemist appears to have given much attention to the subject, for the simple reason that no means have been available for a complete investigation.