Klotz (violin makers)

Klotz is a family of violin makers. Members of the Klotz (or Kloz) family have made violins in Mittenwald, Germany from the mid-17th century to the present. Dictionaries of violin makers list more than 25 artisans by this name.

Matthias I (1656–1743) founded the Mittenwald school of violin making after study with Jacob Stainer and Nicolo Amati. Typical labels:

• Mattias Klotz Geigenmacher zu Mittenwald an der Iser 1697
• Mathias Klotz Lauten und Geigenmacher in Mittenwald an der Iser Anno 1695
• Mathias Kloz Lautenmacher. A label of the family [1] in Mittenwalt Anno 1725.

Instruments by Sebastian I (1696–1768) are probably the most admired among the many existing examples by this family. Some instruments which have been identified as Sebastian's work bear his father's label. Typical labels:

• Sebastian Klotz in Mittenwald an der Iser 1734
• Sebastian Kloz, in Mittenwald, an 1743
• Seb. G. Kloz in Mittenwald, 1732

Joseph (1743–1819), son of Sebastian, worked in a manner similar to that of his father.

The quality of their instruments varies enormously, and many inferior, unauthentic examples have labels bearing the Klotz name.

Translation:

• Geigenmacher: violin maker
• Lautenmacher: lute maker
• See also Luthier

References