This 1922 Georg Winterling violin has had an arduous life, but you’d be hard pressed to find any traces of it on the surface of the instrument. Prior to my acquisition, it lay in an intemperate attic of an old victorian era house for decades, which resulted in several cracks developing. The worst of which was a full length crack from top to bottom along the plane of the sound post. Certainly daunting to look at when I first saw it, I knew it had to be saved. The varnish dirty, muddled, hardened, and cracks galore, I knew the restoration would be lengthy.

Currently on display at Sixth Generation Strings in Saratoga Springs, NY

A Violin by Georg Winterling, Krailling 1922

As I investigated further, however, it became apparent that the top of the violin had likely never been removed. The only traces of previous repair were some peg bushings, and an ebony insert underneath the fingerboard, presumably to compensate for a low set neck. There were no previous crack repairs at all.

Digging even deeper, I could see that all the fittings were old, they matched each other, and that the pegs were in the classic Winterling style, of which he invented his own. It is believed that the fittings, with exception to the chin rest, are original with the instrument and that they were made by Winterling himself. I then learned that the instrument had been a family heirloom and that the previous owner of it had in fact been in Germany the year this instrument was made. Considering the nearly entirely original condition, in conjunction with the known provenance, I suspect this instrument only had two owners prior to us, and only one of whom played it. We also acquired the instrument with a bow (pictures coming soon) which we, given all the information, suspect may also have been made by Winterling and had been purchased new as a package. The bow is awaiting minor repair, and when it is complete, the Winterling will again be offered for sale as a package with the bow.

Enjoy complete photos of the restoration process below:

Winterling Restoration

See the complete set of restoration photos in large format here: