John Van Wirdum Violin, played by Martin Lass, Australia 1986

This violin is labelled "Antonius Vinaccia, Napoli in Via Constantinii, a. 1792" and shows evidence of being repaired in 1902. Antonio Vinaccia was a renowned instrument maker in Naples during the mid-18th to late 19th centuries. He was known for making violins in the style of Gagliano and exceptional mandolins. His craftsmanship is preserved in Naples's Museo Spagnuolo (Palazzo degli Studi). Antonio's sons, Gennaro and Gaetano, also became instrument makers.

In the 1910s, Arthur Edward Smith (1880-1978) established a store in Sydney upon his return to Australia. Smith's workshop on Hunter Street quickly gained a reputation for repairing and selling high-quality stringed instruments. This violin was sold (not made by) AE Smith, Australia's most famous violin maker. 

We have here the Orfeo Carletti Violin made in 1932. Orfeo Carletti is an Italian violin maker who opened a workshop together with his father and brother in Bologna. 

This is a violin labelled Carlo Steffani. The timber for this violin was cut around 1800 in the Southern Alps.

This French violin was made in 1922 by Amédée Dominique Dieudonné, who specialized in copying Cremona Masters and achieved a superior varnishing technique. He started his own workshop in Mirecourt after the First World War in the 1920s.

POA This violin, attributed to Anselmo Bellosio (1743-1793) in Venice, was acquired by Animato Strings and features previous repairs, including a new bass bar installed by A. Eisenstein in New York, as noted in a 1944 magazine clip. After cleaning and minor seam repairs, it produces a rich, full sound and is available for sale. Born into a family of organ makers, Bellosio began crafting violins around 1770 and took over Giorgio Serafin’s workshop in 1777. This particular instrument, dated 1768, reflects his early craftsmanship and notable deep tone, marking him as a significant figure in the 18th-century Venetian violin-making tradition before his passing at 50.

This is the Paul Kaul violin made in France dated 1918. Paul Kaul is a French violin maker who joined several workshops such as Thibouville Lamy, Silvestre and Maucotel, Vuillemin-Didion. He started several workshops on rue Racine, Nantes in 1907, rue du Pont Communeau in 1908, and at 130 Boulevard Brune in 1926. 

This exceptional French violin is a masterpiece crafted by the renowned luthier Jean Baptiste Colin in Mirecourt, Paris, back in 1901. The violin's exceptional characteristics contribute to the continued popularity of his violins in modern times.