Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1727, the 'Fruh Gamba'
Cello: 41597
Labeled, "1730. . .
Back: Two-piece of faint, medium curl
Scroll: of modern origin
Ribs: of modern origin
Varnish: Orange-brown
Notes:
"According to the Beares, the back and top are original and were made into a small cello with a flat back from what were once parts of a viola da gamba. The back has viol struts un the upper and lower bout, but not in the sound post area, which is thicker than the rest of the back. The canted portion of the back has been replaced and the upper bout of the top, as can be seen in the photograph, has been enlarge to a cello outline. The ribs and scroll are not original."Violin Varnish Now and Then, William Fulton & Stan Schmidt, Journal of the Violin Society of America, Vol. IX, No. 3, Flushing, NY
Discovered in a London sale by Charles Beare and Robert Bein in the 1980s.
How Many Strads?, Doring, Bein & Fushi, Doring, Bein & Fushi, How Many Strads? (1999 edition), Chicago
The "Fruh" Stradivari cello was adapted from a viola da gamba attributed to the Stradivari workshop ca. 1730. The original top and lower portion of the back are preserved, married to sides and neck made in the 19th century. A faint inscription on the interior, Jos Wagner, Jahre, 1831, is likely its date of modification. It is one of three surviving Stradivari violas da gamba.
Provenance
| until 1999 | Karl Fruh |
| until 2005 | Karl & Helen Fruh Estate |
| from 2005 | Shrine to Music, National Music Museum, South Dakota |
Known players
Ken Olsen
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: John & Arthur Beare, London (1983) ". . .from the workshop of Antonio Stradivari, and largely the work of his son Francesco."- Certificate: Bein & Fushi, Inc, Chicago, IL
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
- Correspondence with Cozio member, December, 2006
How Many Strads? (1999 edition), Doring, Bein & Fushi, Bein & Fushi, Chicago, 1999 (illustrated)
Stradivari bass viola da gamba; Shrine to Music Museum- Journal of the Violin Society of America, Vol. IX, No. 3, William Fulton & Stan Schmidt, The Queens College Press, Flushing, NY (illustrated)