The State Collection of Stringed Musical Instruments, held by the National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine in Kyiv, has welcomed a new exhibit, an antique violin. Its maker, according to preliminary expert findings, was the legendary craftsman Anatoly Leman, and it is dated to 1908.
The unique instrument was seized in Sumy oblast at the border with Russia, confiscated and forfeited to the state. Realizing that they were dealing with an article that probably had not only artistic, but also historical value, the Sumy customs officers turned to experts for advice.
While investigations and examinations continued, the artifact was deposited in the Sumy Regional Local History Museum. Its director Vladyslav Terentiev noted in a conversation with The Day’s reporter that additional studies were needed to prove the authenticity of the instrument. But in any case, it is a valuable part of our cultural heritage and it is important that we have managed to prevent its removal from Ukraine.
Representatives of the State Bailiff Service’s Sumy office, attached to the Main Territorial Directorate of the Ministry of Justice in Sumy oblast, handed the antique violin directly to artists: for that sole purpose, People’s Artist of Ukraine, laureate of the Shevchenko State Prize, the first violin of the Distinguished Lysenko Quartet Professor Anatolii Bazhenov and the section head of the State Collection of Stringed Musical Instruments, Distinguished Culture Worker of Ukraine, Associate Professor Bohdan Fesiuk arrived to Sumy.
Let us recall that Leman lived and worked at the turn of the 20th century. He made about 200 musical instruments, most of which have been lost. He called himself the “Messiah of the Violin.”
