Violin makers routinely finish their instruments with a thick coat of varnish, the better to protect and preserve the wood. Now Swiss scientists claim that this varnish also plays a role in the ...

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. It may be the wood, the glue or the shape -- but experts have long suspected that the real secret of the cherished Stradivarius violin's ...

As clients for his prototype and model-making work began heading abroad, Eugene Holtier, an industrial designer by training, knew he needed to find something with more stability. "I got to the ...

Varnish does more than just provide a protective sheen to a violin. It influences the vibrations and impulses that the wood absorbs and therefore the quality of sound the instrument produces, says an ...

Varnishes protect works of art and wooden instruments from environmental damage. However, until recently, little research had been carried out into the effects of varnish on the sound of violins. Empa ...

Originally from Poland, the North Bennet Street School department head of violin making and repair is an expert in the instrument’s craft and history As department head of violin making and repair at ...

A Stradivarius "Ex-Nachez" made in the year 1716 by famed Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari is pictured at Sotheby's in Hamburg Oct. 21, 2003. Reuters A Stradivarius is among the most coveted ...

The fragrance of varnish and curing wood drifts by as you enter Side Door Strings, transporting you to an era when objects and the tools that built them were all made by hand. A violin in the raw sits ...

Leonardo da Vinci's oil painting "Mona Lisa" looks rather gloomy with its dark green and brown colours. It is a little-known fact that the maestro painted the picture in bright colours - so the ...