You might be thinking to yourself: A violin and antiques don’t have anything in common. They’re as mismatched as scallions and ice cream, a combination that, frankly, sounds disgusting.
But in this week’s edition of How New York Times Relates to Violins™, we’re going to connect the dots between half-head-chipped statues and violins.
First, let’s get you up to speed on these relics, and the half-head-chipped statues I mentioned earlier. On the February 17th edition of the New York Times, there’s an article titled “Cleveland Museum Will Return a Prized Bronze.” In it, we learn about the Manhattan District Attorney’s seizure of “towering bronzes” from the Cleveland Institute of Art. These bronzes, commemorating Marcus Aurelius, are connected to the “half-head-chipped” statue I referred to. The article also explains the scientific techniques—like isotope analysis, soil samples, and 3D modeling—used to confirm that the statue in Cleveland is not only related to, but actually identical to, its birthplace in Bubon, Turkey.
So, how does this relate to violins? Here’s how:
When Emperor Marcus Aurelius ruled (161–180 CE), the precursor to the violin, the lira, was as common in Rome as TikTok is to us Gen Zers. The lira was played by plucking its strings, not with a bow as modern violins are played. It’s hard to imagine, but in Roman society, there were no Gucci bags flashing wealth—there were liras, whose “peach-like” sounds filled the palace with resonance.
In Bubon, Turkey, the instrument played when locals sold the half-head-chipped statue to smugglers was the bağlama saz, a stringed instrument resembling a guitar. Like the violin, the bağlama saz allows players to pluck the strings (just like the violin’s pizzicato technique). If you’re particularly detail-oriented, both instruments have four strings and are central to folk music traditions in Europe and Anatolia, respectively.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office doesn’t just prosecute cases involving half-head-chipped statues. Although less common, if violins were stolen or sold as counterfeit, the DA’s office would also pursue these crimes with equal zeal and vigor. The crime? Not antiquities trafficking, but art forgery and grand theft, with prison sentences of up to 15 years.
Do you have other ideas about how this article connects to the violin? (The article link is attached for your personal enjoyment.) Feel free to comment! We are, after all, violin navigators!
