Author:Giovanni Paolo Maggini(1580)

Category：Entertainment

Year：ca. 1610

Size:Length:74.5 (cm)

Introduction：Giovanni Paolo Maggini was second to no one in the Brescia School of violin making. He was a student of Gasparo Bertolotti da Salò, and took the luthier craftsmanship of Brescia to entirely new heights, allowing it to reach its zenith during his lifetime. The construction method and style of his works deeply influenced the following two great masters, Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù. Maggini died in his prime, tragically bringing an early close to the brilliant history of violin making in Brescia. From another point of view, however, Maggini bestowed upon Brescia a rich legacy of violin history, which ended in a state of near perfection.

Maggini's cellos are extremely rare, with only six currently in existence. This one bearing the name "Chimay", giving it special significance in the CHIMEI collection. Chimay is a municipality in Belgium along the French border, famous for its historical castles, descendants of European royalty and exquisite beers. The royal Chimay family that governed this area possessed the "Chimay" cello for many years, until Prince de Caraman-Chimay allowed it to change hands in 1896, since then, the cello was given the name "Chimay" and embarked upon an enigmatic journey.

From 1896 until 2006, the cello belonged to several owners. In 1944, it was kept in Birmingham, UK. In 2006, a mysterious power brought the cello to the CHIMEI Museum. Yo-yo Ma once said, “Cellos possess their own spirit and minds.” After wandering for a century, the cello, Chimay, testifies one of the most fantastic odysseys of violin history in the CHIMEI Museum.

Accession Number:0009610

Place of Orgin：Brescia, Italy