Richard Duke was an English violin maker active in London during the late 18th century. He maintained a workshop in Holborn, London, where he produced both violins and violas [1][2]. His instruments bear maker's labels identifying him as 'Richard Duke, Maker Holborn, London,' with at least one viola dated to the 1770s [2]. Duke's workshop sourced component parts from continental makers—notably Viennese scroll work—which he incorporated into instruments of English construction [1]. His documented output spans at least two instrument types with back lengths ranging from 35.4 cm to 37.8 cm [1][2].
Sources: [{"index":1,"url":"https://ingleshayday.com/notable-sales-instrument/a-violin-by-richard-duke/","description":"Ingles \u0026 Hayday auction catalog: violin attributed to Richard Duke"},{"index":2,"url":"https://ingleshayday.com/notable-sales-instrument/a-viola-by-richard-duke/","description":"Ingles \u0026 Hayday auction catalog: viola attributed to Richard Duke"}]
We track 7 instrument(s) attributed to Richard Duke in our database.
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