Raffaele Fiorini was the maker responsible for the violin making renaissance in Bologna in the 19th century. This school adapted the external form for the creation of the rib structure, as opposed to the internal moulds used by the classical Italian makers. Amongst Fiorini’s students were makers such Augusto Pollastri, Oreste & Cesare Candi, and Armando Monterumici, as well as his famed son Giuseppe. Raffaele’s cellos are rare and highly sought after.

This example is in excellent playing order and does not disappoint in terms of its sound and palette of colours. It was in the possession of Italian cellist Enrico Mainardi who performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician, notably in a piano trio with Wolfgang Schneiderhan and Edwin Fischer. Mainardi used this cello for the celebrated recording of Strauss' Don Quixote which Mainardi made in Berlin in 1933, with Strauss conducting.