Awesome to finally see a picture of the piece! Very nice.

Thank you, I'm getting ready to sell it, which is a bit saddening, but it's tone and quality will just die if it's left to gather dust. The money will be very helpful too (should fetch at least $4000, but likely more). I'll start up a photography blog so you can catch more than just the tiny tidbits I throw up.

It is a shame, but that would be good for it to go someone that will take care of it (If they're spending that much bread on it, they fuckin better!)
Awesome! Thank you much :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Annibale_Tononi
Made in Bolonge, lol. That violin is worth a fortune.

Thank you, sounds like the appraiser didn't know his stuff very well.

Okay one thank you isn't enough. Seriously, THANK YOU!

you're welcome! the appraiser should have known that

he must not be very good, lol

He obviously didn't even know who the maker was... it might not be fair to say so since it's not my profession, but I think that's really sad considering it IS the guy's profession.

and you might want to get a better appraiser to make sure that date is right, because if he died in 1930 and the violin was made in 1950, the appraiser might have been correct, but I doubt it if it was made by Carlo Tononi himself.

1730s... yeah I'm going to talk to my family about it today and see if we can't find a really good licensed appraiser. I'm rereading the appraisals my grandfather got on the violin and they're kind of all over the place, but they're all by the same man. Two say it was made in Venice and one in Bologne... the only thing that never changed was the appraisal price.

He's also saying there is damage where there is none present and I've examined it several times over, having worked with wood a lot it looks to actually be in top notch condition if a little dirty (and needs new keys, but it's normal to replace those every so often).

well if it still works, than you should at least get the $45,000 for it, lol. But you probably want to go to Europe to get that much for it.

There are auctions houses for that kind of stuff out here and the people who attend them certainly have money.

lol, I said 1930

hey, since I told you that, you have to do something for me: upload new stuff to your gallery. Its kinda like a desert.

Hehe :) Well I upload when I draw... I've unfortunately been pretty dry on the drawing front though. Nasty block, but in good time, possibly sooner rather than later.

It the mean time though I've got my account for the commissions people get from me (in case you're not watching it  thorndraco ) and I've got an archive of some older stuff over at thorndraco.blackdragonfx.net

Yeah I am, but you haven't loaded much completed art recently. ^_^

Yeah I know, just been in a complete dead zone. Having a rough enough time getting commissions done.

well get crackin, lol

Astonishingly beautiful composition, the contrast of the colours is stark and lovely. The story is marvelous too!!

Thank you! :3