Auction Report: September 2021

The sweet cacophony of public viewings was once more absent this June as the London auction houses kept browsing to appointment only. The Covid crisis had already managed to push the habitual spring auctions into summer for the first time in many years, leaving many of us feeling like tethered migratory birds that should have been winging somewhere in March.

This summer is also a time of change in the London violin world. On a less dramatic note, Brompton’s has moved from its offices at the Royal Institution to attractive new premises at 33 Percy Street in Georgian Fitzrovia. More surprisingly, Tarisio appears to be – at least in the near to medium term – moving its European auctions from London to Berlin. I am assured that the London offices will remain open for business, including their restorers, and that they will also be in use for viewing items from the Berlin sales…