Professional Italian cello by Filippo Zanisi, Castelleone 1987 (certificate)

Filippo Zanisi (1911-1992) is an Italian violin maker whose well-known oeuvre reveals mature mastery and deep familiarity with the Cremona violin making tradition - which also make this Italian cello from his late work a worthwhile discovery for professional musicians.

The flawless craftsmanship that characterizes every detail of this Flippo Zanisi cello formulates a sum of Filippo Zanisi's fine training and decades of experience as an independent master craftsman. Born in 1911, he came to the traditional violin making school of Cremona in 1947 as a trained woodcarver - and thus belongs to that generation of Italian violin makers who began their careers under the difficult conditions of the post-war period. Little is known about his further career, so that instruments like the cello offered here must speak for his work and life. His certificate, issued 5 years before his death, acknowledges the highly developed aesthetic sensibility in the choice of excellent tonewoods, especially the deeply and closely flamed maple for the two-piece back, scroll and ribs. The golden yellow oil varnish shows Zani's deep rootedness in the best standards of Italian violin making. A repair in the lower part of the top, done with the utmost care, is of no consequence to the outstanding tonal qualities of this instrument, thanks in no small part to the first-rate quality of the even-grained spruce that Zanisi used. Tested and prepared ready to play in our luthier's workshop, this cello, which we acquired from the stock of a professional musician, offers rich interpretive possibilities for demanding literature with its meltingly warm sound.

• Certified violoncello by Filippo Zanisi, 1987
• Mature instrument from the late period with a beautiful sound
• From the estate of a professional musician
• Italian cello in the best Cremonese tradition
• Certificate by Silvio Barbieri included