labelled Nicolaus Amatus Cremonen Hieronymi Fil., ac Antonij Nepos Fecit. 1665
length of back 13³/₄in., 35cm.

in case

Certificates
W.E. Hill & Sons, London, dated 2^nd September 1910
Emil Herrmann, New York, undated
The Brooklyn Museum Exhibition, New York, dated 3^rd June 1945 (copy only)

Provenance
Sir Wilfred Lawrence Hepton of Newton Green Hall, near Leeds, was Lord Mayor of Leeds from 1907-8. He received King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra when they visited Leeds in 1908 to open new buildings at the university.

The 'ex-Hepton' passed from Sir Wilfred Hepton to a Charles Wilbur Hoffman of York, Pennsylvania, and in 1945 it was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum whilst in the possession of William Lindsey of Boston. It was subsequently bought by the American violinist Melvin Ritter, who was concertmaster of the St Louis Symphony Orchestra in the 1960s and one half of the Ritter-Allen Duo. After Ritter's death in 2012, the Amati was left to The Music Settlement to be used by staff and students, which it has been for many years.

The Music Settlement
The Music Settlement in Cleveland is a pillar of the Ohio music community. Founded in 1912 to give the children of immigrant workers in Cleveland access to music education, it has grown from just 50 students at its inception to thousands of students every year, making it one of the largest schools of its kind in the United States. Its varied programmes include conventional music tuition for all ages, early childhood music classes, music therapy sessions, and regular student and professional performances at the 'BOP STOP' jazz club, proudly bringing music therapy and tuition to people who might otherwise face barriers to access. Music tuition ranges from classical ensembles to jazz tuition, the rock and pop academy, and creative ageing programmes, providing music, movement, and community to adults aged 55 and above.

All proceeds from the sale of the Amati violin will go towards TMS' current $11 million project, the renovation of the "People's Music House". The building was closed at the beginning of the COVID pandemic and cannot currently be used due to health and safety standards.

The 'House', formerly used for private piano and Suzuki method tuition, will be turned into a new teaching space in order to address rising demand for TMS programmes and noise disruption between concurrent classes. Its renovation will include the addition of a working lift, allowing universal access, and an 'acoustically sound environment'. After completion the building will total approximately 17,000 square feet, providing the required space to begin addressing TMS' growing waiting list, as well as allowing the Settlement to move music classes out of their communal spaces.