THOMPSON.—London; late eighteenth century. There were several makers, or rather instrument dealers, in business in St. Paul’s Churchyard. Instruments vary, and the violoncellos are often better than the violins. The latter are generally a sort of mixture of the patterns of Stainer and Amati, with red or yellow varnish, and of no particular character.
THOUVENEL, Henry.—Mirecourt; about 1850-1860. Strad pattern; yellow varnish.
THUMARDT.—Straubing, Munich; eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Eight or more makers are named. One of them, Johann Stephan, worked in Straubing until 1817, and his work is of some value.
TIEFENBRUNNER.—Mittenwald, Munich; eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A family who must not be confounded with the Tieffenbruckers who were viol makers. Eight or nine Tiefenbrunners have been engaged in the manufacture of stringed instruments, chiefly zithers. Amongst those who made violins Johann Caspar, who died about 1769, and worked in Mittenwald, seems to be best known.
TIELKE, Joachim.—Hamburg. Born 1641; died 1719. Is said to have made violins, but the only instruments seen by the writer were of the lute or viol class.
TOBIN, Richard.—Dublin, London. A fine workman. Was for a time employed by Perry. Afterwards by Betts and other London dealers, besides working on his own account. Made some very handsome violoncellos, and violins chiefly of Stradivari pattern. He died in Shoreditch in about 1836. His scrolls are wonderful pieces of workmanship; but he was of irregular habits, and did not always do full justice to his powers.
TOLBECQUE, Auguste.—Paris. Born 1830. A violoncellist, and collector of old instruments; he made a few violins which are said to be excellent copies of Italian work.
TONONI.—Bologna, Venice, Rome; seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. An important family of makers of Bolognese origin. There were two Carlos, the elder of whom dates from Bologna, and seems to have worked down to about 1717, or perhaps later. There do not seem to be many of his instruments about. The relationships between the various members of this family are uncertain, and the accounts given of them in books on the violin vary in this respect. Most of the instruments seen are evidently based upon the form of Amati, but there is a German look about them which is apparent enough on examining a specimen though not easy to explain on paper. Many of them are beautifully finished, and built of handsomely figured wood, and the tone, especially of the violoncellos, is exceptionally good. A number of the violins are of rather large size, the arching usually fairly high. Perhaps the best known of the family is Carlo Antonio, who worked in Venice from about 1720-1768. Most of the fiddles are rather high built, have finely figured backs, and a yellow or red-orange varnish of very good quality. Name branded above the tail pin. His second Christian name does not seem to appear upon his tickets. Giovanni Tononi worked in Bologna and apparently in Venice also. His instruments date from about 1689-1740. Model varies, but is chiefly of large Amati character. Good yellow or brown-red varnish of clear texture. Felice Tononi dates from Bologna and was possibly the founder of the family, his early tickets dating from about 1670. High model, good clear varnish. Two other names are mentioned, Guido and Pietro.
TOPPANI, Angelo de.—Rome; about 1730-45. High built fiddles. Tecchler school.
TOROSSI, Cesare.—Novara; about 1840. Little known.