A violin, bought as a fake, with this obviously fraudulent label. The violin looks like it’s from the same town that the label indicates, but it certainly isn’t as old as the label (above) says.
Notice how the label isn’t glued in all that well, though. It’s in the wrong place, near the center of the back, looks hastily slapped on, and is a bit loose around the edges. What do we see when we take a look underneath? A signature of the real maker!
Somewhere along the line, someone thought they’d upgrade the violin, but contrary to their intention they downgraded it by turning it from a signed original into an obvious fake. The real maker is obscure, but he’s a known maker, and now the violin is real again, with the real maker’s name attached. That’s a solid upgrade.
