My essay on the foundations of Arnold Dolmetsch’s musical instrument collection appears in European, British, and American Musical Instrument Collectors, 1850–1940.

I am unable to post a PDF of the full chapter online at this time. If you are interested in reading it and are not able to obtain a copy through your library, please contact me directly.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003216193-15

Citation: Johnson, Edmond. “‘No Mere Assemblage of Musical Instruments.’ The Foundations of Arnold Dolmetsch’s (1858–1940).” In European, British, and American Musical Instrument Collectors, 1850–1940, edited by Christina Linsenmeyer. Routledge, 2026.

Appendix

This is an extended version of the appendix included in the print volume.

Instruments Sold at the Puttick & Simpson Auction

The bulk of Arnold Dolmetsch’s instrument collection was put up for auction on October 29-30, 1901 at the Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Auction Galleries, 47 Leicester Square, London. The violins were sold on October 29, while the “historical” instruments were offered up the following day.

The auction was held by Puttick & Simpson, and prominent London auction house. An annotated copy of the sales catalog, noting both sale prices and the name of successful bidders, is preserved in the British Library’s collection of auction catalogs (Shelfmark: S.C. Puttick & Simpson Sep 24 – Nov 15 1901).

The table below contains all of Dolmetsch’s musical instrument that were sold at the auction, organized by category. The descriptions for each instrument are taken from the auction catalog and include original spellings, italicizations, and capitalizations.

Buyers at the Auction

The names of the purchasers are handwritten and often hard to decipher. Typically, only the last name is provided. The following buyers have been identified:

  • Miss Horne: Beatrice Horne, a friend and pupil of Arnold Dolmetsch
  • Galpin: Francis W. Galpin (1858-1945), a notable instrument collector
  • Tregaskis: James Tregaskis (1850-1926), an antiquarian bookseller
  • Balfour: Possibly Henry Balfour (1863-1939), first curator of the Pitt-Rivers Museum

Prices

The purchase prices are listed in their original pre-decimal format. From lowest value to highest: twelve pence (d) equal one shilling (s); twenty shillings are equal to one pound (£).

DescriptionAuction #Sale PricePurchased by / [Current location if known]
Violin Family
A FINE ITALIAN VIOLIN by Nicolaus Amatus, 1658, in case147£510s0dMiss Horne
An old violin, labelled Tononi, in shaped crocodile case148£415s0dRoberts (?)
An old English tenor, in case152£50s0dBalfour
A violoncello, by Betts, in perfect condition150£110s0dF. Marchant (?)
A violoncello piccolo, by Stainer, five strings, carved head and rose473£105s0dMiss Horne
An old French violoncello bow, by Meuchand, carved ivory nut151£07s0dMancy (?)
Two violin cases, containing four old bows, and an old viola case153£011s0dPrice
Subtotal£8218s0d
Harpsichords and Virginals
A Harpsichord, by Arnold Dolmetsch, 1896, Richly decorated with Paintings by Mrs. Helen Fry (Exhibited at the arts and Crafts Exhibition)446£890s0dTregaskis [Horniman Museum M72-1983]
An old Italian square virginal452£17s6dWhite
An Italian Square virginal453£17s6dMiss Horne
Subtotal£9115s0d
Pianos
An old grand pianoforte, by Broadwood, 1815, in inlaid mahogany case447£18s0dFarquarson (?)
An old square pianoforte, by Zumpe, 1771, on stand448£09s0dMiss Horne
An old square pianoforte, by Zumpe449£08s0dW. Green (?)
An old square pianoforte450£03s0dW. Green (?)
An old mahogany inlaid satinwood organised square pianoforte, by Longman and Broderip, about 1780451£112s6dHerbert
Subtotal£40s6d
Organs
A chamber pipe organ, two stops, date about 1780454£05s0dMiss Horne
An old chamber pipe organ, by Gray & Davison, six stops and pedals in solid mahogany case455£07s0dWhite
Subtotal£012s0d
Viols
An alto viol, by Banks456£110s0dFox (?)
A Scotch viol d’amore, carved head, original pegs459£30s0dMiss Horne
An old English viol-da-gamba, carved lion’s head, by Richard Meares, 1669464£50s0dMiss Horne
An old French viola-da-gamba, with carved rose, date about 1600468£30s0dMiss Horne
An old English viol, by John Strong, Salisbury, 1600, in case469£105s0dMiss Horne
An old English alto viol471£110s0dMiss Horne
An old English viol-da-gamba, in case, faulty474£10s0dMiss Horne
Subtotal£255s0d
Plucked String Instruments
A lute, by Arnold Dolmetsch457£50s0dMiss Horne [Horniman Museum M11-1983]
An old Venetian lute, flat back460£010s0dMiss Horne
An old German lute, in original condition461£515s0dMiss Horne
An Italian theorbo, about 1550, inlaid with ivory and mother-o’-pearl, in playing order, in shaped cedarwood case463£140s0dMiss Horne
A French theorbated cithern, by Renault, Paris, about 1700465£70s0dMiss Horne
An old Spanish guitar, cedar inlaid with ivory and ebony466£15s0dMiss Horne
An old Dutch cithern467£09s0dSteele (?)
An old English cithern462£09s0dFox (?)
A large early English cithern470£018s0dMiss Horne
An old Italian bass mandoline, circa 1700, inlaid with ivory and mother-o’-pearl472£40s0dMiss Horne
Subtotal£396s0d
Wind Instruments
An old oboe, boxwood477£04s0dMiss Horne
An old English flageolot [sic] and one other478£010s0dGalpin
Subtotal£014s0d
Other Instruments
A French hurdy-gurdy, about 1750458£40s0dGalpin [now Boston MFA no. 17.1735]
A set of old French bagpipes475£20s0dGalpin
Another set [of old French bagpipes]476£07s0dFox (?)
A rare old Irish Harp, by Egan, Dublin485£215s0dHarmach (?)
An old Indian tom-tom479£011s0dMiss Horne
Subtotal£913s0d