Otto Jacob was born in Markneukirchen, Saxony, in 1894. There was an extensive family of luthiers of this name originating from Markneukirchen but comparatively little information has come down to us. Otto, it seems, was a pupil of Oskar Gustav Prager, also of Markneukirchen, a highly regarded master and, by all accounts he was a good teacher because this violin shows all the violin making skills that this important centre was famous for.

The violin is based on a Stradivarius model and features a very handsome one-piece back plate with matching wood in the sides and head; the top plate is of two pieces of book-matched spruce, of very fine grain at the centre, growing a little wider towards the flanks; the varnish is of a warm red-brown and was originally applied in a shaded pattern, it now exhibits a genuine aged patina and a fine grained craquelure.

A beautiful violin in excellent condition, it is fitted up to a ‘Master’ standard with Larsen ‘Ill Cannone’ strings and would be eminently suitable for the advanced or advancing student, dedicated amateur or young professional player.

Reference: VN.1330