A Mid Century Violin By Ottomar Hausmann, Mittenwald.

A Native of Bohemian Schonbach, Ottomar Hausmann was displaced by World War II and arrived in Mittenwald as a refugee in 1946, where he quickly assimilated and adopted their time honored traditions of craftsmanship. Using easily recognizable materials from the Karwendel mountains, this mid century violin follows his most successful template, a Guarneri model. Though it bears his brandstamp both to the back and in the belly, his signature label is not present, suggesting it was probably made very soon after he settled in Mittenwald. The violin is immediately recognizable and a highly characteristic example of Hausmann’ as work but features a deeper red varnish than the golden orange oil varnish he adopted by the late 50’s. Recently acquired from the estate of a violinist who performed in the USO, New York Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, the instrument presents in good condition save for a repaired wing crack to the bass side f-hole and some varnish wear consistent with its age and use.