Nicolò Amati, Cremona, 1677, the 'Herbert'
Cello: 42793
Bearing its original label.
Back: of poplar wood
Top: of wide-grained spruce
Scroll: of maple of small figure
Ribs: of maple cut on the half slab
Varnish: Golden orange-brown
Notes:
"We occasionally come across an interesting Amati-style Cremonese cello dating from the 1660s or 1670s with F holes looking suspiciously Stradivarian. I have seen three examples like this. One is the Amati cello of 1677 belonging to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., an instrument on loan to the Tokyo Quartet."The Transition of the Amati Workshop into the hands of Stradivari, 1660-1684, Daniel Draley, Journal of the Violin Society of America, Vol. IX, No. 3, Flushing, NY
Provenance
| until 1896 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| from 1896 | George Herbert |
| in 1938 | Sold by Puttick & Simpson |
| until 1949 | Emil Herrmann, New York |
| 1949-1964 | Anna E. Clark |
| ... | ... |
| from 1964 and in 1987 | Corcoran Gallery of Arts |
| Dr Herbert R. Axelrod | |
| in 2000 | Smithsonian Institution Museum |
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: Emil Herrmann, New York, New York, NY (1949) "A fine and characteristic specimen of the Great Master's late period made already under the influence of Antonio Stradivari. In an excellent state of preservation and of great tonal qualities."- Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1896) "The head although matching extremely well, we do not think was made by Amati."
Certificate: Emil Herrmann, New York, New York, NY (1949) "A fine and characteristic specimen of the Great Master's late period made already under the influence of Antonio Stradivari. In an excellent state of preservation and of great tonal qualities."Cozio holds copies of many certificates and other documents, some of which are available to view on request. Please contact us if you wish to view a particular document. (Note that we do not always have permission to share documents.)
References
Amati Quartet, Ex-John Jay & Sandra Day O'Conner, Machold Rare Violins (illustrated)- Evelyn & Herbert Axelrod Stringed Instrument Collection, Herbert Axelrod (illustrated)
- The Jacques Français Rare Violins, Inc. Photographic Archive and Business Records, 1844-1998, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (illustrated)
- The Strad 2009 Calendar: The Museum Collection, Newsquest Specialist Media, London (illustrated)
- Journal of the Violin Society of America, Vol. IX, No. 3, Daniel Draley, The Queens College Press, Flushing, NY
- String Player, Vol. 3, No. 1 (illustrated)
Amati Quartet, Ex-John Jay & Sandra Day O'Conner, Machold Rare Violins (illustrated)
