Stradivari Violoncello: the "Servais"

Object Details

Servais, Adrien-François

Stradivari, Antonio

Description

This violoncello was made Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy, in 1701. It is known as the “Servais” violoncello. It is made of a two-piece table of spruce with even medium fine grain broadening toward the flanks, two-piece back of maple with beautiful medium descending figure (with wings originally added to the upper and lower bouts), ribs of similar maple, modern maple neck terminating in the original pegbox and scroll of even medium figure, and golden reddish-orange varnish. There is an original printed label inside the instrument:

Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis
Faciebat Anno 1701

[“01” is handwritten}

Antonio Stradivari is credited with the final development and refinement of the violin family, creating instruments that are viewed today as the standard of perfection. Although little is known of his life, we know from notes on his labels that he was born in 1644 and apprenticed to Nicolo Amati, the pre-eminent violin maker of Cremona, Italy. Stradivari was 57 years old when he built the Servais cello, using particularly beautiful wood he reserved for such large instruments. The varnish is unusually rich, a reddish-orange color with golden transparency. The overall purity, and especially the sound of this cello, are remarkable. For its importance in the development of the modern bowed string family, the Servais stands alone.

Adrien-François Servais (1807-1866) was a celebrated Belgian cellist famous for his powerful tone and acrobatic technique, combined with increased use of vibrato, which was at that time an innovation in performance. He was also one of the first cellists to use the modern end-pin. In addition to his frequent performance tours, he was on the Brussels Conservatory faculty during a period when Brussels was an influential musical center. This is the cello he used in his career, building an enormous public reputation.

Location

Currently not on view

Credit Line

Gift of Charlotte V. Bergen

1701

ID Number

1981.0289.01

catalog number

1981.0289.01

accession number

1981.0289

Object Name

cello

Object Type

violoncellos

Physical Description

spruce (table material)

maple (back material)

Measurements

overall: 50 in x 18 1/4 in x 10 7/16 in; 127 cm x 46.355 cm x 26.51125 cm

Place Made

Italy: Lombardy, Cremona

Related Publication

Souvenirs and Caprices

Boccherini String Quintets, op.11

Quintet in C Major, D.956, Rondo in A Major, D.438

Octets for Strings

Bach Suites for Violincello Solo

Louis Spohr Octets, Sextet, Quintet

Franchomme/Chopin: Grand Duo Concertant

Brahms: Sonatas fro Piano and Cello

Georges Onslow: String Quintetes, opp. 38, 39 & 40

Shinichi Yokoyama. The Classic Bowed Stringed Instruments from the Smithsonian Institution

See more items in

Cultural and Community Life: Musical Instruments

Music & Musical Instruments

National Museum of American History

Record ID

nmah_214477

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a0-ede5-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa