This illustration of a 1725 cello by Peter Guarneri of Venice was published in The Strad, April 1985. The following text is extracted from the article accompanying the photographs:
London's springtime sales once again afford a useful opportunity to study works from schools not often accessible to most of us, in particular this time instruments by the Guarneris. Since the appearance of Hill's 'The Guarneri Family' with its revealing account of the lesser familiar members, too long over-shadowed by the great 'del Gesù', we have come to realise something of their sterling merits. Unlike families such as the Gaglianos of Naples, Testore of Milan, and others, who mostly worked in the family circle and reflected each other's styles, the Guarneris were highly individual makers who launched their own original models. Including those who left Cremona for other centres, they turned out instruments little publicised yet occasionally comparable with the very finest of the fine.
Such a one is the Peter Guarneri of Venice 1725 cello at Sotheby's. This is a superlative work in almost perfect condition, with its restrained shaping so delicately drawn as to make Amati curves look almost rotund. It is a handsome instrument, the dimensions accurate and the finish a fascinating reddish brown. Much as we admire Cremonese varnish and that lovely smooth sheen, this Peter of Venice with its slightly crinkly surface suggesting mysterious depths - reminiscent of the tint of a Titian - is a revelation in how intensely memorable Venetian instruments can be.
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