Carlo Bergonzi I, Cremona, c. 1738-42, the 'Spanish'
Cello: 55612
Made on Stradivari’s ‘B piccolo’ mould
Back: Two-piece
Scroll: Identical to the Stradivari 'Fruh' and 'Pleeth' cellos
Length of back: 74.2 cm
Upper bouts: 34.5 cm
Middle bouts: 23.2 cm
Lower bouts: 43.6 cm
There were no images found for this item.
There are 6 additional images in the archive which are not available publicly. Please contact us for more information.
Notes:
"Closer examination reveals not only the fine quality of the varnish, but also that it was made on Stradivari's 'forma B piccola' (with the soundholes placed differently) and that its maker was Carlo Bergonzi, with the help of his son, Michel Angelo. . .The cello's history must surely be that it remained unused during the second half of the 18th century before being enlarged in Madrid, most likely by Silverio Ortega. . . . Hills understandably disagreed with the Stradivari attribution and declined to buy the instrument. . ."Carlo Bergonzi: A Cremonese Master Unveiled, Christopher Reuning, editor, Carlo Bergonzi: A Cremonese Master Unveiled (supplement to The Strad, June, 2010), Cremona
Provenance
| in 1855 | Sold by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume |
| 1855-1885 | Madame Wilhelm von Booth |
| from 1885 | Otto van Booth |
| George Withers & Sons | |
| Charles Fletcher | |
| Mrs. Maud Beckford | |
| Current owner |
References
Carlo Bergonzi: A Cremonese Master Unveiled (supplement to The Strad, June, 2010), Christopher Reuning, editor, Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari, Cremona (illustrated)- Reuning & Son Violins Newsletter, Fall 2010, Reuning & Son, Boston (illustrated)