oats of the
master's livery--"Dodd's varnish," the secret of making which he kept
carefully to himself. With these coats of varnish upon them the work
was doubly effective, and every point of excellence was made to shine
with the happiest effect. Upon leaving the workshop of Thomas Dodd,
Bernard Fendt worked for John Betts, making many of those copies of
Amati which are associated with the name of Betts, and which have so
high a value.

Although Fendt was German by birth, his style of work cannot be
considered as German in character. Having early quitted his post of
trade in Paris for England, and having in this country placed himself
under the guidance of Dodd, who steadfastly kept before his workmen
the originals of the great Italian masters for models, his work
acquired a distinctive stamp of its own, and in its turn gave rise to
a new and independent class of makers.

FENDT, Bernard Simon, London, born in 1800, died in 1852. Son of the
above. He was an excellent workman. It is to be regretted that he did
not follow the excellent example set by his father, and let time do
its work, without interruption, upon his instruments. Had he done so
they would, in many instances, have been equal to those of his parent;
but, unfortunately, he worked when the mania for obtaining supposed
maturity by artificial means was at its height, and shared the general
infatuation, and, in consequence, very frequently destroyed all the
stamina of his instruments. Subsequently he became a partner of George
Purdy, and carried on a joint business at Finch Lane, in the City of
London, from whence most of his best instruments date. Purdy and Fendt
had also a shop in the West End about 1843. He was a most assiduous
worker. The number of Violins, Tenors, Violoncellos, and Double-Basses
that he made was very great; indeed, his reputation would have been
greater had he been content to have made fewer instruments and to have
exercised more general care. His copies of Guarneri are most numerous,
numbering some hundreds. They are mostly varnished with a glaring red
colour, of a hard nature. He made many good Double-Basses of the
Gasparo da Salo form, the varnish on which is superior to that on his
Violins. He made also an excellent quartette of instruments--Violin,
Viola, Violoncello, and Double-Bass--for the Exhibition of 1851. They
were certainly the best contemporary instruments exhibited, but he
failed to obtain the prize medal.

FENDT, Martin,