Carlo Antonio Testore was the eldest son, pupil and successor of Carlo Giuseppe Testore of Milan. He was a more prolific maker than his father. The workmanship and appearance of C.A. Testore’s work is considered rough, but the tonal quality is excellent. Following in the Italian tradition, his cellos feature elegant sound holes cut to either Stradivari or Amati form.
This cello is extraordinary, not only because of its rich pure tone but also because of its original baroque neck. The front is of high quality alpine spruce, two halves joined at the centre and with a strong broad grain. The back is made of maple with a wonderfully regular narrow flame and the varnish is beautifully intact and homogenous.
Carlo Antonio bore the weight of responsibility for supporting the family when his father died young. This might explain the reason why his cellos are sometimes described as hastily made. However, his swift technique was applied with no loss to the remarkable playing qualities of the resulting instrument. This cello has had an extensive restoration (2019-2020).