Violin made for Cahusac, London, 1801
This violin has now sold.
About William Cahusac
The Cahusac family had a number of music shops in Georgian London between 1750 and the 1820s. William and his half-brother Thomas inherited a shop at 196 The Strand from their father Thomas in 1798, fairly quickly separating it into two independent concerns. The Cahusac shops printed and sold sheet music and sold wind instruments and string instruments. There is no evidence that any of the members of the family made instruments themselves.
About English violin making of the period
Like many other shops at the time, William Cahusac´s business depended on a group of violin makers who made unlabelled instruments to be sold by dealers. The London makers of this time were pretty variable: most of the demand from shops was for quickly-made instruments which could be sold at affordable prices. These unlabelled instruments are often unpurfled but have a habit of sounding very good!
About the violin
The violin is loosely modelled after the instruments of Jacob Stainer and is reminiscent of the work of Lockey Hill. It was made by an individual luthier, however it is not possible to put a name to the maker due to the speed of construction.
The violin has a two piece back of irregularly-flamed maple. The front is two pieces of fine-grained spruce and the varnish is a characteristically English chocolate-brown colour, laid over a lighter golden ground. The length of back is 354 mm.
How does it sound?
The violin is dark and smoky with a sound that draws you in. This is a seriously classy instrument and sounds great in a range of styles.
Condition
The violin has been restored to a secure position and comes with a complete condition report.