FIGURE 2 Stradivari’s ‘PG’ mould. Note the four horizontal thin lines perpendicular to the main axis; these connect the corners and the ends of the C-bouts
COURTESY MUSEO DEL VIOLINIO
What was it that guided the designs of Antonio Stradivari’s instruments? Existing studies on the structure of the violin give complex answers with regard to the knowledge and practice of luthiers in the 17th century. This may be the time to apply the principle of Occam’s razor, namely that ‘preference should be given to the simplest assumptions’.