A Rare Baroque Violin from 1740 by Johann Seiz, Mittenwald.

Nestled at the seat of the Karwendel Mountains, Mittenwald is a proverbial Mecca for German lutherie and the artisanal instrument craft, rich in history and steeped in traditions some 300 years and more in the making. The surrounding forests which reached high above the little Bavarian town supplied the craftsmen of old with high quality spruce of most admirable tonal qualities, a fabled resource that modern makers continue to draw from to this day. The State Vocational School For Instrument Making trains the legends of tomorrow and traces its roots back to 1858, sitting almost a stone’s throw from the Geigenbaumuseum. And at its heart, a statue of Matthias Klotz, father to a dynasty of luthiers which heralded the town makers’ guild and comprised many of the luthier school’s original faculty. 

This 18th century violin by Johann Seiz was masterfully restored, reconfigured, and set up in 2010 by Mathias Adrian Heyligers in Cremona Italy. A rare and historic piece by an understated craftsman, with a superb and distinctive voice, at once open, clear, and full of depth and color.