Personal initial assessment
Have a string instrument identified
I look at your photos and write to you about where your violin, viola or cello probably comes from, how old it is and which school it belongs to.
Watch the photo guide →Photo guide8 required views, with a photo guide
How to photograph your instrument
A phone is all you need. The photos don't have to look nice, but they should be bright, sharp and taken from the right angle. The video shows you how: first the body from four sides, then the scroll.
Go straight to the view you need
Add your photographs →What the service includes
You receive my written assessment by email, usually within 1–2 days of payment. If I need detail photos, I will ask for them. If no maker can be attributed, or something can only be judged with the instrument in hand, I will tell you so openly. You are not paying for a particular result but for the time I take to study your photos and do the research. Without your consent to an immediate start, I begin only after the 14-day withdrawal period has ended.
- Analysis of features
- I look at the model, construction, wood, varnish, scroll and workmanship.
- Written initial opinion
- Where the instrument probably comes from, when it was made and which school or workshop it may belong to.
- Personal reply
- I look at your photos myself. No software decides anything.
Patera Violins · Photographic identification
Your identification order
Enter contact and billing details once. Photos and notes are saved separately for each instrument.