Huajie Hu violin, Guarneri del Gesu "King Joseph" model, 2024, Hamburg | Metzler Violins

bright, sweet, powerful

About the Instrument
A violin with a lovely powerful upper register that is bright and sweet. This instrument is modeled on the 1737 “King Joseph” violin by Giuseppe Guarneri, an instrument that, a century later, was dubbed the crowning achievement of the master violin maker (“Joseph” being the Anglicization of “Giuseppe”). Guarneri’s “King Joseph” violin is considered peerless in its physical craft, with beautiful varnish and flame grain. Huajie’s copy is gorgeous, with a lush amber varnish over a golden ground and subtle antiquing. Fiddleback flames extend from the center joint of its two-piece back and run along its ribs, neck, and scroll.

Interior label reads: “Giegenbaumaister Huajie Hu / Hamburg Anno 2024”
Length: 353mm
Upper Bouts: 165mm
Middle: 113mm
Lower Bouts: 205mm

About the Maker
Huajie Hu (1970-) was born in Gongqing, China, near the Russian border. His father was an amateur luthier, and it was in his father’s shop Huajie built his first violin at the age of 16. He studied violin making at Haerbin University in China and, upon graduation, maintained the instruments and bows of the members of the national Jinfan Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing. Five years later, at the age of 26, Huajie founded his first violin workshop in Beijing. He has had a particular passion for the centuries-old lineage German violin making and, in 2000, moved to Hamburg, working with the luthier Reinhard Fischer. Huajie works to integrate Chinese and German traditions to cultivate precision and innovation in his instruments.