Samuel Gilkes

One of England's great cello makers, Samuel Gilkes first worked for William Forster III starting around 1810. He may have had a small role in training Forster's son Simon Andrew, but Simon minimizes this relationship in his account. Gilkes left to start ...Read More his own shop in 1819, though he continued to include "from Forster" on his labels. John Hart, whose son George would go on to found one of the most important firms of the 19th century, apprenticed with and worked for him until Gilkes' death in 1827. Gilkes' Stradivari model cellos showcase a thorough understanding of the master's work coupled with distinctive characteristics of his own style: archings are high, with deeply fluted edges at the purfling, and the oil-based varnish is richly colored but sufficiently transparent to reveal the grain. His son William also built instruments. Read Less

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