As a child in Darmstadt, Germany, Florian Leonhard dreamed of being a surgeon whose specialty was healing broken hands. Today, building on his early dreams of regeneration—which, by his teen years, had become specific to reconstructing a broken cello—Leonhard is a respected restorer, maker, dealer, and trusted authenticator of new and classic violins, violas, cellos, and bows. He is also known for his line of True Copy instruments, based on years of research and the study of original antiques.
I experimented. I cooked varnish. I read the old [varnish] recipes. I translated old books. Understanding how things work, taking things apart, and then figuring out how to put them back together again were natural pursuits, he says of his youth. The focus on becoming a surgeon—his grandfather was a doctor—shifted to building violins after Leonhard began playing the cello at age 9. He also clearly recalls the day when his cello slipped, fell, and broke its backside.
I was absolutely falling in love. The dealer lent me a book [on violin making], and I devoured it. I was hooked. And instruments. Initially, Leonhard planned for a career in lutherie, and, like other young people seeking a prestigious college, he was dead set on one institution: the musical instrument making school in Mittenwald, for nearly four centuries the center of violin making in Germany. He was wrong; Leonhard, 19, was one of the ten out of 1, applicants accepted. At the interview, Leonhard displayed a violin he had made in the evenings after classes.
Still not sure of his chances, he wrote letters, carefully penned in cursive, to remind them of his interest. Not yet earning money. Still reliant on parents. And to have contact with the Hills, who were to me the bible of expertise, it was incredible. Joining W. From there, it was a natural hop and skip to reproduction work and the launch of his True Copy line. One method of attracting the notice of others in the trade was his meticulously antiqued copy of a Stradivari scroll.
Better to be slow and steady, even if I have to work through the night. His pace has paid off over the years in sales, high-end clients, and relationships with emerging musicians. Leonhard has established a fellowship for young players. He says his authentication work develops trust and gives musicians advanced assurance that their instruments have provenance and measured value.
