This instrument is part of our 7th annual Contemporary American Makers Exhibition, 2024

The violin bears the facsimile label “Antonio Stradivarius Cremonenfis Faciebat Anno 1722”. It also

bears on the treble side the label “Douglas C. Cox, Brattleboro, Vermont, 2022, #1057” and is branded

and initialed on the inside. It is a 300th Anniversary tribute to the “Cadiz” violin of Antonio Stradivari.

It is built of well aged New England grown wood. The back is cut on the quarter from two pieces of

maple with medium width flames descending toward the treble side. The ribs and neck are of maple

similar to that of the back. The table is of two pieces of spruce with irregular, mostly medium growth.

The varnish is of a red-brown color over a golden ground and is shaded and imitated. The fittings are

of boxwood with black trim. The principal dimensions are:

Length 357 mm

Upper Bout 167 mm

Middle Bout 112 mm

Lower Bout 206 mm

Rib Height 30-32 mm

String Length 326 mm

"Douglas is a gentleman of deep integrity, full of love for his art and craft, and meticulous in husbanding his 'children' — the instruments he makes so well. I cannot recommend Doug Cox highly enough." -- Marylou Speaker Churchill (1945-2009) 

Douglas Cox received his early training at the State Violin Making School in Mittenwald, Germany in the late 1960's, then spending ten years as chief restorer and head of the repair department for the firm of J. Bradley Taylor, Inc. in Boston, servicing the finest instruments in the New England area. Since 1981, he has devoted himself to making fine new instruments at his studio in the hills outside Brattleboro, Vermont.

To his making of new instruments, Doug combines the discipline and workmanship of his early training with years of study of fine old instruments. He continues to stretch his making abilities and understanding of what makes violins work by building close copies of unusual and noteworthy master instruments.

Since 1981 Doug has built more than 950 instruments. His instruments have received awards from the Violin Society of America and are played by artists around the world in a wide variety of musical settings.

“I absolutely love my Cox violin. It is a joy and a pleasure to play on.  It feels and sounds like I am playing on a great old Italian violin.” -- Jaime Laredo 

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