John Dilworth
ANYON, Thomas Born 1854, Worked circa. 1896-1914 Manchester UK. Amateur maker. Fine work on Cremonese models.
William Meredith Morris
A gentleman amateur, who produces excellent work. He was born in Preston, June 8, 1854, and educated at the Normal School there. Throughout life he has always been fond of studious pursuits, particularly of painting, music, modelling, science, &:c., with ever the fiddle as his constant friend. It was the perusal of ” Violin Making, as it Was and Is,” by E. Heron- Allen, which first gave him the incentive to construct a violin. Before so doing he studied the mathematics of the instrument for many months, experimenting with volumes of air acting upon resonating plates of different media, and constructing a sound-box in order to obtain reliable data as to thicknesses and air volumes. The results justifying further research, he made his first instrument in 1892, and is now constructing his fifty-third. During the year 1895 he employed for eight months two assistants to help in the rough work only, but was obliged to dispense with their help, finding from beginning to end that the task of getting anything like the violin art and finish out of cabinet-workers’ labour was a hopeless one. His model is original, of full proportions, and very artistic. The varnish is an oil one of different shades. On the instruments examined by me it was a deep golden red perfectly transparent and fiery. The workmanship is magnificent, and the tone large, rich, and free. The maker’s monogram is carved on the back of the scroll, at the base near the scollop. Mr. Anyon tells me that he has sold several of his instruments privately at prices ranging from thirty to fifty guineas.
