Viola by Anonymous

Catalog 39. Viola – Milano, 17th C.

Certificates by Hill.

This viola suffered a surgical operation during the 18th or 19th C., reducing the original body by perhaps 3 to 4 cm, a fate suffered by almost all large violas and violoncelli from the 17th century. This reduction was made in order to facilitate playing. Even the celli by Stradivarius were reduced from 77-79 cm to the now standard 75 cm. Our viola measures now 41.8 cm; it was probably 44 cm long.