František Špidlen was a Prague-based violin maker active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An instrument labeled in 1890 identifies him as a soldier (c.a.k. vojín) serving with Infantry Regiment No. 74, suggesting military service concurrent with his instrument-making practice [2]. By 1911, he was established as an independent maker in Prague, producing copies of celebrated historical models—notably a reproduction of Jan Kubelík's 1715 'Emperor' Stradivari, completed and signed on November 28, 1911 [1]. Evidence suggests he may have worked in Moscow at some point, as at least one instrument bears the brand 'Spidlen. Moscov.' [4]. His instruments typically feature red-brown varnish and are signed or branded to the inside front [1][3][5].
Sources: [{"index":1,"url":"https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/property/?ID=83452","description":"Tarisio Cozio Archive: Labeled violin, Prague 1911, Stradivari copy"},{"index":2,"url":"https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/property/?ID=83449","description":"Tarisio Cozio Archive: Labeled violin, Prague 1890, military service notation"},{"index":3,"url":"https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/property/?ID=83450","description":"Tarisio Cozio Archive: Branded violin, red-brown varnish"},{"index":4,"url":"https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/property/?ID=83451","description":"Tarisio Cozio Archive: Branded violin, Moscow attribution"},{"index":5,"url":"https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/property/?ID=83448","description":"Tarisio Cozio Archive: Signed violin"}]
We track 5 instrument(s) attributed to Frantisek Spidlen in our database.
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