'When any master holds/ 'Twixt chin and hand a violin of mine, / He will be glad that Stradivari lived.'

Grayscale illustration of an older man playing a violin, eyes closed and leaning into the instrument, while seated in a chair.

Antonio Stradivari says any master will hold one of his instruments and be glad he lived. God gives them skill, but Stradivari gives them instruments to use that skill.

Unknown

George Eliot Archive , edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

1893

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

"Stradivarius" (Poetry)

Unknown, 'When any master holds/ 'Twixt chin and hand a violin of mine, / He will be glad that Stradivari lived.', George Eliot Illustrations Gallery, George Eliot Archive , edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/83349