Featured Violin
Giovanni Battista Grancino, Sr. violin, Milan circa 1685
One of the greatest violin makers of the Milanese school, Giovanni Battista Grancino I (1637-1709) likely learned violin making from his father Andrea Grancino (d.c.1673). Influenced by Amati and Stradivari, Grancino's prolific output includes violins, violas, cellos, and double basses, with some early examples made together with his brother Francesco (fl.1660-1670). His students include Carlo Antonio Testore, Bartolomeo Pasta, and his son, Giovanni Battista II (1673-c.1730). His instruments are highly sought after by top professional players and collectors.
Length of back: 348 mm 4/4
Featured Viola
16 1/2" Carl Becker and Son viola, Chicago 1961
The celebrated American luthier Carl G. Becker was born in Chicago in 1887. Becker made his first violin at the age of fourteen and would go on to enjoy an illustrious career spanning seven decades. His interest in violin making was nurtured by his musical family, notably his grandfather, luthier and furniture maker Hermann Macklett. In 1902, his nascent career as a violin maker developed under the tutelage of John Hornsteiner at the firm of Lyon and Healy, where he maintained prominent instruments belonging to members of the Chicago Symphony. Becker continued to work as an assistant to Hornsteiner until the latter left Lyon and Healy to start his own firm in 1908. In 1924, Becker joined William Lewis & Son as a master luthier, appraiser, and workshop supervisor. During his time with Lewis and Son, Becker was an extremely prolific maker, crafting more than four hundred violins and over sixty cellos. After several decades with this firm, Becker and his son, Carl F. Becker, began their own firm in Chicago in 1968. The firm of Carl G. Becker and Son continues the Becker family's tradition of violin making to this today.
Length of back: 421 mm 16 1/2" and larger
