Matthias Dahl (b.1888, d.1973) was the most important of the Minnesota historic makers.  Many professional players in this area used his violins for their careers.  He was born in Norway and made his first violin when he was 7 years old. At such a young age it was clear he had a particular aptitude for working with instruments. In 1910 he moved to Minneapolis to study under H.P. Blakkestead’s instruction through the Blakkestead Music Company. Dahl followed models of Stradivari and Guarneri instruments as closely as possible. His masterful precision is best represented through the sound holes, the scroll, and the purfling on his instruments. This instrument has a beautiful honey colored varnish with a stunning one-piece back. It produces a very bold sound across all ranges and an extremely clean upper range, plus it is very comfortable to play and would be perfect in the hands of a serious violinist.  This 1954 violin has not been on the market since it was new 68 years ago.