MÖCKEL.—Nineteenth century. A Berlin family established in Berlin, Dresden, and elsewhere. One of them, Otto, used a label with his portrait upon it.
MOINEL, Charles.—Paris. Born 1866. Succeeded Cherpitel.
MOITESSIER, Louis.—Mirecourt. Worked to about 1825 and made many instruments. Examples seen by writer were of mediocre workmanship.
MÖNNIG.—Markneukirchen. A family of nineteenth century makers. About half a dozen of them are mentioned.
MONTADE, Gregorio.—Cremona; to about 1730. The work is after the pattern of Stradivari, but is little known amongst connoisseurs.
MONTAGNANA, Domenico.—Venice; to about 1745 or later. A maker of very high rank, about whom very little is certainly known. He was probably born in Venice, and the stories that he worked under either Stradivari or Amati may be dismissed as being unsupported by any evidence worthy of the name. The earliest date seen by the writer in an authentic ticket is 1715, and appears in a fine violin of rather small size, photographs of which appeared in the Strad magazine in June, 1912. Whoever was his instructor, he seems to have asserted his individuality from the outset. In a few of the violins there is more than a suspicion of a leaning towards the German form of outline; and in the treatment of the sound-holes the same thing may be observed. This is not surprising when it is remembered that the majority of the old Venetian makers exhibit traces, more or less marked, of the influence of Stainer. In his finest examples no trace of anything of the kind is discernible. He was an admirable workman with great knowledge of wood, and a fine eye for form. Much of his material is very handsome, particularly in the violoncellos, in the making of which instruments he was second to no maker, except Stradivari. A few double-basses are known. Violas are very rarely seen, but the few recognised as genuine are admirable instruments and possess a very fine tone. His varnish has long excited the admiration of connoisseurs. It is very lustrous, and of varying shades of red, the texture being much clearer than that usually seen on work of the Venetian school. The violins are of two sizes, the larger and more valuable being a small fraction under 14 inches long, and the general dimensions corresponding pretty nearly with the larger examples of Guarneri del Gesù. In the finer examples the sound-holes are not unlike some of those of Carlo Bergonzi. The arching is of medium height as a rule, but now and then a little fuller. His fiddles are certainly very rare, but their number is not so phenomenally limited as has been asserted by some writers. Tricks have been freely played with his labels in the past. These in some examples date from the sign “Cremona”; but there are genuine tickets which contain no reference to it. The heads are always splendid pieces of carving and of bold contour. One of the handsomest of his violoncellos has long been in the possession of Mr. George Gudgeon. A woodcut of it appears in Hart’s book on the violin.
MORLET, Nicholas.—France, probably Mirecourt; nineteenth century. Large violins after the stereotyped pattern of “didier” Nicolas.
MORRISON, John.—London; nineteenth century, first half. Worked in Soho, chiefly for the trade. Instruments little known.
MOUGENOT.—Rouen; circa 1760.
MOUGENOT, Georges.—Brussels. Born 1843. A well-known dealer and maker. He worked with N. F. Vuillaume, whose business in Brussels he acquired. His copies of Stradivari and Guarneri are very well made. Work usually signed in addition to printed label.