Violin by Friedrich August Meisel, Klingenthal, 1887

NMM 6055. Violin by Friedrich August Meisel (1817-1898), Klingenthal, Saxony, 1887. Gift of Kurt Lothar and Patricia A. Meisel, Owatonna, Minnesota, 1997.

Label: Printed paper label with decorated line at bottom, the last line of text written in black ink: Friedr. Aug. Meisel, / Instrumentenmacher. / Klingenthal i/V 1887.
Top: two-piece, quarter-cut spruce with medium grain, broadening toward the flanks; wooden dowel through top into top block on bass side of center joint.
Back: two-piece, quarter-cut maple with narrow curl, descending from center joint.
Ribs: quarter-cut maple with narrow curl, on upper and lower bass ribs, upper and center treble ribs; slab-cut maple with medium curl, on center bass rib and lower treble ribs.
Head and neck: maple, narrow curl; inside of pegbox stained black.
Varnish: medium brown.
Fingerboard: ebony.
Nut: ebony.
F-holes: slightly undercut.
Linings: spruce.
Corner blocks: spruce lower corner blocks; no upper corner blocks.
Bassbar: triangular cross-section. Narrow-gauge toothed scraper marks visible on inside of ribs.

Lit.:  Julie Kucaj, "Lothar Meisel," Arts & Minds., Bravo! News Style Arts Channel, Toronto, January 30-31, 2003.

K. Lothar Meisel with Betty Vos, The Meisel Family Violin Makers:  Klingenthal, Vogtland, Saxony (Ely, Minnesota: Singing River Publications, Inc., 2007), pp. 98-101.

The NMM preserves violins from each of eight generations of the Meisel family.

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