Johann Gottfried Hamm

History

Johann Gottfried Hamm (1744-1817) was born in 1744 and died in 1817 in Markneukirchen, Germany. He became a Master of the Violin Makers' Guild in 1764. Hamm is regarded as the best maker of his family and was considered one of the best Vogtland violin makers of his time. He indicated a debt to Rome and Cremona on his labels, though there is no evidence that he had any experience in those cities. According to Willibald Leo Lütgendorff, he was long counted among the Italian school due to his labels, despite his model and varnish not justifying this attribution. Sources contain conflicting information about his working period, with Cecie Stainer noting he worked from 1780 to 1810.

Craft

• Model: Hamm's instruments often followed a Stainer model with a medium-high arch and a deeply channeled edge.
• Head: He crafted a very individual head, characterized by oval volutes that were deeply undercut, with the last turn extended into a very reduced eye, surmounting a swan-necked pegbox.
• Inlays: His instruments were sometimes inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl around the edges, and he often incorporated ivory edges, which were more delicate than those of most Neukirchen masters.
• Varnish: The varnish on his instruments was of variable shades.
• Materials: He utilized good materials in his work.
• Pattern: George Hart notes that he made instruments of a wide pattern.

Further Information

• Branding: Hamm branded his instruments internally with 'I*G*H' and occasionally with 'Hamm'.
• Labels: He used various printed labels, including examples such as 'Johann Gottfried Hamm / Instrumenten Macher / Stadt Neukirchen bey Adorf / im Voigtlande Fecit Ao 1810' and 'Johann Gottfried Hamm, / Prope violino correspondent / Romani Cremona Ao 17..'.

Summary

Johann Gottfried Hamm (1744-1817) was a German violin maker from Markneukirchen, who became a Master of the Violin Makers' Guild in 1764. He is highly regarded as one of the best makers of his family and region. Hamm's instruments typically followed a Stainer model, featuring a distinctive head with deeply undercut oval volutes and often adorned with ivory or mother-of-pearl inlays around the edges. He used good materials and a varnish of variable shades, branding his instruments internally with 'I*G*H'.