Violin Johannes Georgius Hellmer 1712 Prague w/August Gemunder 1884 Repair Label

For sale is an antique 4/4 full size violin labeled Georgius Hellmer 1712(?) from Prague with a repair label by the great luthier August Gemunder 1884 in New York. Violin is set up and ready to play and no repairs appear to be needed but instrument is being sold as/is with no returns.  Tarisio appraised it a few years ago for $850.00.  Length of back is 14”. Dark varnish is nice and shiny. There appear to be many repairs including the pegbox which has had the peg holes properly bushed and re-drilled, maybe the work of Gemunder. The back has been repaired and has cleats inside down the center seam. There is a cleated and repaired crack under the bridge leg above the sound post so should not be a problem.  It has an Aubert Mirecourt bridge. Back corner blocks are visible but could not be photographed easily. String tension will be loosened for shipping and instrument will be ready to play after tuning. No bow included but it will be shipped with a usable antique case for protection. Shipping by UPS Ground in the continental U.S. is $45.00.

 

Additional Information:

Johann Georg Hellmer (Helmer) (1687 - 1770) was "born at Waltenhofer, Upper Bavaria. Worked at Prague, 1720-1770.  He was a pupil of Thomas Edlinger (1662 - 1729). He was one of the best violin makers in Prague in the 18th century and represents a top Prague violin makers school. Workmanship far from mediocrity, but stops short of the highest steps to the temple of fame. Modeling strongly reminiscent of the narrow-waisted and long Amati, but with slightly more arching suggestive of the Klotz type. always excellent wood. Sound holes well treated. Small scroll, not quite satisfactory to fastidious connoisseurs. Early dated instruments varnished pale yellow; ventured on a dark brown tint about 1740; but later applied a much richer orange-brown oil varnish with yellow ground which certainly emphasizes the beauty of the wood. Fairly mellow tone, but only moderately powerful. Sometimes branded on the grove at the lower part of the scroll. Beethoven owned and played on one of these violins.

 

August Martin Ludwig Gemünder (22 March 1814, Ingelfingen – 7 September 1895, New York City) was a German-born American violin maker who worked in the United States. With his brother, the great American luthier George Gemünder, and others, he pioneered the construction of quality violins in the United States. His father was a violin maker and repairer and Gemünder was brought up in the business—taking over the shop on his father's death. In 1839, he moved to Regensburg, and resided in several other cities in Germany as well. In 1846, he emigrated to Springfield, Massachusetts, in the United States. Later he established himself in Boston and then New York City. Gemünder specialized in copying old Italian masters, especially the instruments of Antonio Stradivarius, Joseph Guarnerius, and Paolo Maggini. August's violins possessed a pure, even tone quality, responded easily, and were thought to excel in power the Italian instruments they were copied from. Gemünder contributed a series of articles to the trade journals, in which he discussed “Old and New Violins,” including a comparison of the tone of those instruments with the human voice; “The Cremona