This cello, labelled Thiery à Paris is a striking and extremely appealing instrument, made of attractive and excellent tone woods covered in a spectacular red varnish which the French were particularly fond of and which only they ever got right. Besides its good looks, it is well-toned with sonority and power - what one would expect from a good solo instrument. At a calculated guess it was made around 1880 to 1890.

Tracking down the exact origin and authorship of these instruments labelled Thiery à Paris remains a challenge since the main sources for such information have almost no information about this. This much can be said without doubt - they are unmistakably French.

This cello has all the hallmarks of a really fine instrument - well-made, showing refinement in all aspects. The back and ribs are of the same well-flamed maple with a narrow even curl - very attractive. The top is of unusually finely grained tone spruce.

This cello had a fracture to the neck that initially had been poorly repaired. After I acquired it, I had the previous work undone. After consideration it was decided not to replace the neck, but rather to reinforce it with carbon fibre rods inserted under the fingerboard and to fit a new fingerboard. It is now structurally totally secure and the original fracture is barely visible. Furthermore, damage to the upper treble corner in the top has been repaired. All this work was undertaken in the Cape by Kevin Dunbar over a period of 6 months. The cello is now in excellent condition has been given a new lease on life - it should serve professional musicians reliably for generations to come.

The tone is big and satisfying. It speaks easily and is really well-balanced throughout the register. The overall tone is somewhat dark and deep, but with good response to demand, projection and real beauty of timbre. It works exceptionally well on stage in a hall.

Dimensions :
	Standard full-size. Length of back: 75.8 cm

Condition :

Very good condition and free from cracks in the plates. The upper treble corner in the front was damaged and has been repaired. The neck had been fractured some years ago halfway along its length. The initial repair has been redone and a new fingerboard was fitted and the neck reinforced with carbon fibre rods imbedded into the shaft under the fingerboard. The neck is now structurally totally secure, as is the entire instrument. All this work was undertaken by Kevin Dunbar in the Cape.

Provenance :
	This cello was one of only four instruments that survived a fire that totally destroyed a music shop in London in the early 20th century. It was then taken to Norway for a number of decades after which it came to South Africa. It was in various ownerships until it was bought by Johan Grobbelaar, who now owns it and who supervised its refurbishing.

Price :

Withheld