Communication

The Nature of the Extraordinary Finish of Stradivari’s Instruments†

  1. Jean-Philippe Echard1,4,
  2. Loïc Bertrand Dr.2,
  3. Alex von Bohlen Dr.3,
  4. Anne-Solenn Le Hô Dr.5,
  5. Céline Paris Dr.6,
  6. Ludovic Bellot-Gurlet Dr.6,
  7. Balthazar Soulier1,7,
  8. Agnès Lattuati-Derieux Dr.4,
  9. Sylvie Thao4,
  10. Laurianne Robinet Dr.2,
  11. Bertrand Lavédrine Prof.4,
  12. Stéphane Vaiedelich1

Article first published online: 3 DEC 2009

DOI: 10.1002/anie.200905131

Issue

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Volume 49, Issue 1, pages 197–201, January 4, 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Echard, J.-P., Bertrand, L., von Bohlen, A., Le Hô, A.-S., Paris, C., Bellot-Gurlet, L., Soulier, B., Lattuati-Derieux, A., Thao, S., Robinet, L., Lavédrine, B. and Vaiedelich, S. (2010), The Nature of the Extraordinary Finish of Stradivari’s Instruments. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 49: 197–201. doi: 10.1002/anie.200905131

Author Information

  1. 1

    Laboratoire de recherche et de restauration Musée de la musique, Cité de la musique 221 avenue Jean Jaurès 75019 Paris (France), Fax: (+33) 1-44-84-46-41 http://www.citedelamusique.fr/lab

  2. 2

    IPANEMA, Synchrotron SOLEIL, BP 48 Saint-Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex (France) http://www.synchrotron-soleil.fr/ipanema

  3. 3

    Institute for Analytical Sciences (ISAS), Dortmund (Germany)

  4. 4

    Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation des Collections, MNHN-CNRS-MCC, Paris (France)

  5. 5

    Laboratoire du Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (LC2RMF) UMR171, CNRS and MCC, Paris (France)

  6. 6

    Laboratoire de Dynamique, Interactions et Réactivité (LADIR), UMR 7075, CNRS and Univ. P. et M. Curie Paris 6, Thiais (France)

  7. 7

    Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Institut für Technologie der Malerei, Stuttgart (Germany)

  1. †

    We thank Dr. P. Dumas and Dr. C. Sandt (SMIS, SOLEIL synchrotron), D. Jaillard, (CCME Univ. Paris-Sud), Dr. M.-A. Languille (IPANEMA, SOLEIL), and Dr. E. van Elslande (C2RMF). We acknowledge the essential collaboration of T. Maniguet, curator (Musée de la musique), for authorizing the sampling of the musical instruments. Dr. B. H. Berrie, Dr. M. Spring, Prof. P. Laszlo, and Prof. T. Blundell carefully reread the manuscript. Part of this work was supported by the European Commission FP6 IA-SFS transnational programme.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 22 DEC 2009
  2. Article first published online: 3 DEC 2009
  3. Manuscript Received: 13 SEP 2009

Funded by

  • European Commission. Grant Number: FP6 IA-SFS

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Keywords:

  • diterpenoids;
  • dyes/pigments;
  • fatty acids;
  • historic materials;
  • natural products

Graphical Abstract

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What is Stradivari's “secret”? The composition of the mythical varnish that coats Stradivari's violins has raised controversial assumptions for the past two centuries. By using a complementary array of analytical tools, the chemical microstratigraphy of these varnishes has been established. The results provide information on the materials and techniques that were used by the Master, with a detailed characterization of the varnish.

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