An English Violin by John Furber, London, circa 1815

An English Violin by John Furber, London, circa 1815

A personal favourite; this violin was made by John Furber in London, circa 1810, and is, in spite of its very slightly petite and delicate modelling, a really powerful instrument. Based on an Amati pattern (which is true of the work of many English makers from the period), it has a much bigger, resonant, and complex sound than one would expect, and has been played extensively in a professional context in recent years. I've been lucky enough to try this instrument in a comparison with two Amati family (brothers Amati, and a later Nicolo) violins and, in terms of volume and breadth of tone, this one really stood its ground! 

A number of members of the Furber family were active as makers during the early to mid. 19th century, with their own workshop at various locations across London, and also in the employ of John Betts.