LOTT.—London. A celebrated family of German origin, dating from late eighteenth century. The senior and perhaps most important member was John Frederick Lott, who died in London in 1853. He was first associated with Fendt in working for Thomas Dodd (q.v.), and his double basses will bear comparison for style and workmanship with anything of the kind made in this country or abroad. He also made fine violoncellos, and, more rarely, violins, but was a fine workman in all departments. His son George Frederick died in 1868, and worked chiefly for Davis, the well-known dealer in Coventry Street, for whom he made many clever copies of Italian instruments. He was also celebrated as a judge of old violins. John Frederick Lott II., who died in 1871, was the second son of J. F. Lott, senior, and is perhaps the best known of the family amongst violinists. His copies of del Gesù’s fiddles are frequently remarkably clever imitations, and are still frequently mistaken for originals, though they are usually a trifle larger than the latter. He was almost equally successful in imitating Carlo Bergonzi, but examples of that pattern are rather scarce. But it may be said that he could, when he chose, imitate any of the great Cremonese masters with extraordinary fidelity. He was occasionally employed by J. B. Vuillaume, to whom he is said to have imparted information (little needed, one would have supposed) on the methods employed in making facsimiles of old Italian work.
LOUIS, Jean.—Geneva, Basle; about 1800-20.
LOWENDALL, Louis.—Dresden, Berlin; nineteenth century. A well-known manufacturer of stringed instruments and accessories.
LUPOT.—Eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. A celebrated French family of makers originating in Mirecourt. Jean, the founder, died there in 1749, and was in no way distinguished. His son Laurent worked in various places and died in Orleans between 1760-70. Francois Lupot I. was son of Laurent, and worked chiefly in Orleans, but went to Paris in 1794 and died there in 1804. He was a good workman, vastly superior to his predecessors. His name is usually stamped on the back of his instruments in addition to the label. Brown or yellow-brown varnish of moderate quality. Arching sometimes inclined to be full. Sound-holes rather upright and the opening not very wide. Scroll mediocre. He is said to have worked with Guarneri del Gesù, but his violins bear no likeness whatever to those of that master, and it is difficult to understand how such a story could have gained currency. His son Nicholas Lupot, born Stuttgart, 1758, died Paris, 1824, was a maker of the first rank, and is usually reckoned the most important of all the makers of the French school. He worked first with his father, and his earlier examples date from Orleans. In 1792 he made for Pique of Paris a number of fiddles in the white, which were varnished by that maker, and bore his label, but are easily distinguished from the works of the latter. The migration to Paris took place in 1794, and his finest efforts are dated from there, the best period beginning about 1800, or a year or two later. His copies of makers other than Stradivari are comparatively rare, but he was unquestionably one of the best imitators of the great Cremonese who ever lived. The work throughout is scrupulously well finished; outline exactly reproduced, and scrolls and sound-holes cut with much vigour and accuracy. Notwithstanding this, the general appearance of his instruments is a trifle massive and heavy, and there is no doubt that in this respect certain other copyists, such as François Fent and Vincent Panormo, have excelled him. His varnish is of good quality, but varies somewhat in appearance, texture, and colour. Dark red was the favourite shade, but lighter shades from yellow onwards are met with, and in some examples the reds are rather glaring. The tone of a fine example is excellent, but, like that of most French instruments, seldom or never possesses the true Italian quality. Some of the violoncellos are superb. He was the founder of the more modern and typical French school of makers and had several notable pupils. His younger brother, François Lupot II., died in Paris in 1837. Such violins as he made are quite indifferent, and his attention was almost entirely confined to bow-making. His best bows are excellent in every way, but he was an unequal workman, and a good many are a trifle short in the stick.
LUTZ.—Eighteenth and nineteenth century. A large family of makers in Schönbach. Some of them established themselves in other places (Vienna and Paris), and were at work quite recently.
MacGEORGE, George.—Edinburgh. Worked with Matthew Hardie, and later alone until about 1820.
MACINTOSH, John.—Dublin. Died about 1840. Born in Scotland. Succeeded to Perry and Wilkinson’s business. A tolerably good workman, but resorted to practices for artificially maturing the wood of his instruments.
MAGGINI, Giovanni Paolo.—Brescia. Born in Botticino Sera, near Brescia, in August, 1580. Died in or before 1632. It is supposed that he fell a victim to the plague in the latter year. Interesting and important information about him was discovered by Professor Berenzi, who lectured on the subject in Brescia in 1890 and also wrote a pamphlet. The facts thus disclosed were included in a monograph on Maggini compiled by Lady Huggins, and published in 1892, most of the material being derived from notes supplied by the brothers Hill. The maker was apprenticed to Gaspar da Salò, and his earlier work is primitive looking and somewhat rough. According to the Huggins monograph both backs and bellies were at first cut on the slab. The violins of Gaspar da Salò, or such of them as have survived, seem to be usually of small pattern; those of Maggini, on the other hand, are usually of large size and may measure from 14¼ to a fraction over 14½ inches in length of body; but according to observations made by the writer, there is reason to believe that he now and then made examples of somewhat reduced proportions. Be that as it may, the typical Maggini fiddle is considerably larger than an ordinary full-sized instrument. His practice was to double purfle his work, but several single purfled specimens are known. The sound-holes at his best period are finely cut and set somewhat slantingly in the belly, the edges being bevelled on the under side. The lower circles are somewhat smaller than the upper ones, but it is by no means certain that this feature was either originated by or entirely peculiar to Maggini, as has been asserted. The cutting of the scroll is peculiar, the turns being from a quarter to half a turn shorter than the ordinary number. In large numbers of continental and other forgeries, and in the common copies of Maggini violins, the process has been reversed and an extra turn added to the volute. The varnish is of fine quality, brown in early work, and golden with a tinge of red in the latest specimens. The outline of the body is bold, with short corners, and, in a typical example, the waist widens rapidly to the lower corner. The arching of the violins is very gradual, rising to about half an inch in the centre of the plates. There are, however, specimens, supposed to date from Maggini’s middle period, in which the build is somewhat higher, and there is a “pronounced raised border” running round the edges. The labels are undated, and placed near the centre of the instrument, instead of directly under the sound-hole. The tone of his best violins is superb, but a little deficient in brilliancy in the upper register. Genuine Maggini work is scarce, but imitations of it abound. One of the cleverest imitators was Bernhard Fendt, several of whose double-basses have passed as Magginis. Violas of unquestioned authenticity do not exceed about a dozen in number. They are more arched than the fiddles and the sound-holes set somewhat high. Nearly all the existing specimens have been reduced in size. Only two or three genuine violoncellos appear to be known. Of double-basses and instruments of the violone class it is difficult to speak with certainty. A small chamber bass, erroneously assigned to da Salò, was in the possession of Mr. T. W. Bourne a few years ago, and a fine example of large size is, or was recently, in Stockholm. Much of the work of this class formerly assigned in this country to Maggini is now recognised as English, Fendt and one or two others being the authors of it. Of Maggini’s two sons, one died in infancy, and the other, Pietro, was not a violin maker. The older books mention a Pietro Santo Maggini, but his existence as a maker is nowadays discredited.
MAIRE, Nicholas.—Paris. Died 1878. A good bow-maker.
MALDONER, Johann Stephan.—Füssen; eighteenth century. Mediocre work, often worm-eaten. Used a label with an ornamental border.