Stainer 4/4 Violin Made in Germany
Jacob Stainer was born in 1619 in Absam, later known as Austria. He was considered one of the best-known Austrian and Germanic luthiers in the earliest years of violin making. His violins were sought after by famous composers and musicians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, and George Somon-Lohein. He was the only non-Italian violin maker to rank as the top luthier in his time before Stradivari.
Stainer’s instruments were sought more by musicians during the period when chamber music was dominant. But when orchestra music took over, musicians began to seek Stradivarius instruments which they believed to be best for orchestra setting because they can produce more powerful sounds. Stainer died in his hometome Absam in 1683, but his instrument designs continue to influence luthiers in Germany, parts of Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.