The corners of violins and cellos on the edges of a C bout are a beautiful part of the violin, or cello, but also susceptible to knocks and damage. It is re=are to find an older violin that hasn’t suffered some damage here from a bump or a knock.
The corners are there because the C bout of the violin or cello is an essential cut away on the shape of the instrument to allow the bow to move freely across all strings.
Small corner repairs involve careful resurfacing of the edge and joining a small piece of fresh spruce (or maple for the underside corner repairs).
Larger breaks however may involve having to replace any lost purfling (though for cheaper instruments its acceptable to paint it in ).
If the corner is sufficiently large then a technique called edge doubling can provide additional mechanical strength.
Next up is colour matching and finishing…a challenge on old and new instruments alike!