A Louis Doelling Jr. violin with a strong voice

This especially lovely 1897 violin hails from the finest violin-making tradition of central Germany and is the work of Georg Louis Doelling (1860-1917), who was also known as “Louis Jr.” The son of a famous Markneukirchen family of violin makers, Doelling learned his art from Carl Gustav Otto (*1857), who was only a few years older and had worked in the famous Bausch atelier in Leipzig. Doelling's paths led him to travel, and he spent time in Leipzig and Breslau before settling down in his Vogtland home in 1884. This instrument is based on a Antonio Stradivari model and is a premium violin — a fine specimen with a one-piece slightly flamed maple back. The transparent reddish-brown varnish against a golden-yellow background effectively emphasizes the interesting spruce grain of the top. The powerful, warm, somewhat dark and yet clear sound can be highly recommended, especially given the price point of this violin.