One of Stradivari’s Long Pattern instruments, the violin has a false label incorrectly dating it to 1705
Launched in 1990, the Anders Sveaas Charitable Foundation is one of the principal arts funders in Norway. The Strad Calendar 2027 celebrates its work by showcasing twelve of the finest instruments it loans out to players all over the Nordic region – including eleven by Antonio Stradivari.
c.1694 ‘Ovcharov’ Stradivari violin
Another violin built on Stradivari’s Long Pattern, the c.1694 ‘Ovcharov’ is even longer than the ‘Sandars’, boasting a back length of 363mm. The label contained within reads: ‘Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1705’ but the instrument is certainly older than that. The table is made of two pieces of spruce with mostly medium grain.
The back, in two pieces, is made of attractively figured quarter-cut maple with horizontal narrow curl. The ribs and scroll are of plainer maple. The varnish is golden–orange in colour. It is in a well-restored state of preservation.
Among its famous owners was Felix M. Warburg, a German banker and philanthropist, most famous for purchasing four Stradivaris for use by the Musical Art Quartet in the 1920s, although the ‘Ovcharov’ was not one of them.
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Photos: Florian Leonhard Fine Violins
Read: ‘Openness, clarity and nasality’: why Stradivari violins provide a preferred sound
Read: Symphonic Stradivarius: a 335-year-old Strad violin gives voice to the music of today
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