William Henry Dow was born in Scotland in 1834 and moved to Australia in 1855 to work as a pattern maker at Langlands Port Phillip Foundry in Melbourne. Initially a hobby, he began making violins in his workshop in South Melbourne and received medals for his work at national exhibitions. After retiring from patternmaking, he devoted himself to creating instruments and made over 200 violins by his death in 1928. It is still being determined how many instruments Dow made, as he only started numbering them when he was satisfied with their quality. One of his violins is on display at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.
Please get in touch with Animato Strings on 07 3876 3877 if you want this violin.
William Henry Dow was one of Australia’s greatest violin makers. He lived from 1834 to 1928. One of his violins is displayed in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.
William Henry Dow was born in Scotland in 1836 and immigrated to Australia 19 years later. He worked with wood throughout his life, first as a joiner in Scotland. When he arrived in Melbourne in 1855, he was reunited with other members of his family who had made the journey from Scotland to Australia a few years earlier. By the time of William’s arrival, his uncle James was the manager of Langlands Port Phillip Foundry, and there William had a job waiting for him as a pattern maker – someone who made wooden patterns for sand casting iron and other metals.
The story goes that William created his first violin at the age of 15. He continued making violins as a hobby from his workshop in South Melbourne, still standing today. William entered his instruments in national exhibitions, starting with the 1875 Intercolonial Exhibition, and received medals for his work, which judges described as “exceedingly creditable.” Despite being entirely self-taught, he was successful. William once said, “I never could get the instruction I wanted from books, and I had to work at night, as I was employed all day at my engineering work.” Eventually, he retired from patternmaking to focus solely on making instruments. By his death in 1928, he had created more than 200 instruments. The exact number of Dow instruments is still being determined, as he began numbering them when he was satisfied that they met his high standards.
Please get in touch with Animato Strings on 07 3876 3877 if you want this violin.
We have here the Domenico Fantin Violin made in Varese, Italy 1971. Domenico Fantin’s instruments are played in major European and American orchestras. Great soloists like Yehudi Menuhin purchased one of his violins in 1969, and Uto Ughi, who owns two of his instruments.
We have here a Lillo Salerno Italian violin made in 2019. Lillo Salerno is an Italian luthier born in Sicily, Italy. He went to Cremona Violin Making School then finished his studies in Mittenwald School of Violin Making in Germany in 2005.
Instrument - Violin
Model- Personalized Stradivari
Top - Italian spruce in two pieces
Back - Balkan maple in two pieces
Scroll - From the same wood as the back
Varnish - Oil and amber with a yellow background, red-brown violin.
Notes - The instrument was made with an antique and shows a black bevel on the scroll and points of the bouts.
This is a Collin - Mezin violin made in Paris in 1902. Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin (1841–1923) was a Parisian luthier an Officier de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts and won gold and silver medals in 1878, 1889, and 1900 at the Paris Exhibitions.
The 1927 Collin-Mezin violin is a masterpiece crafted in the renowned Collin-Mezin Workshop, established in the 19th century by Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin in Paris. After passing in 1923, his son, Charles Collin-Mezin Jr., took over the workshop. In 1925, the workshop moved to Mirecourt, France. Known for producing vibrant instruments with outstanding sound flexibility, the workshop's tradition continues with the 1927 Collin-Mezin violin.
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.
Have a look at this Gliga Vasile 4/4 Violin with Lady's Head Scroll (Instrument Only). Gliga Vasile Special Series: Lady's head in scroll.
Check out this Didier Nicolas Violin made around 1780 in Mirecourt, France. Didier Nicolas is a French luthier who owns the workshop D. Nicolas Aine, one of the most successful violin companies in Mirecourt during the late 1700s and 1800s.
