Stainer Steiner, Jakob#

b. Absam (Tirol), 1617, d. Absam (Tirol), Oct. or Nov. 1683, violin maker. Probably student of the masters of Cremona; from 1658 violin maker at court, from 1656 workshop in Absam (without assistants or apprentices). Founder of the Central European school of violin making; combined Italian manufacturing techniques with the German violin model. His violins are characterised by a particularly beautiful sound and are of equal quality as the Italian masterpieces (often compared to Amati violins). mental illness from 1675; his last violin is dated 1682. The violin maker Marcus S. (b. Hallein, 1633, d. Laufen, Nov. 27, 1693), though often referred to as brother of Jakob S., is not a relative.

Literature#