Kunpeng violin, China

This attractive and skillfully made Chinese violin, from the Kunpeng workshops in Tong Zhou district of Beijing is typical of the better hand-made instruments increasingly seen here. The one-piece back is of European maple with a lovely, quite narrow, regular flame, and the amber-coloured varnish has been nicely antiqued. The tone is warm, clear and resonant without any trace of harshness, and there is a very pleasant, complex veneer to the sound.