IS IT A STRAD?

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 530, 6 December 1928, Page 14

IS IT A STRAD?

Aucklander Claims to Have 1709 Model CONSIDERED AUTHENTIC What he considers to be a genuine Stradivarius violin is in the possession of Mr. James Hewitt, violin maker of Auckland. It is not a chance discovery, for it has been in his possession for nine years, and he has known of it for 58 years. “Strad” discoveries are not rare; indeed, if Antonius Stradivarius had made all the fiddles that have been credited to him from time to time, he would have led a very busy life. According to Mr. Hewitt, the violin in question is dated 1709, the only year, he states, that Stradivarius made violins of this particular size. The construction, material and the varnish are also claimed to be identical with the famous craftman’s work. Mr. Hewitt Informed a Sun representative that he has seen a number of “Strads,” and considers that the best he has seen is that owned by the violinist, Zimbalist. Fiddles, he states, like singers, have their own tonal quality, and the marked characteristic of the “Strad” is the beautiful reed quality of its tone. The fiddle in his possession, although old,

has a mellow ring clear as a bell. Although Mr. Hewitt has had the violin he is not anxious to sell it. If, as he thinks, it is a “Strad,” he would first have to submit it to experts such as Hill’s, in London, for their certificate. For the past nine years the violin has been in pieces, and it was reassembled only two weeks ago.