Paulo Castelllo 1778 Genoa

Paulo Castelllo 

Genoa, Italy

Year: 1778

Certification: Kenneth Warren & Sons

Body Length: 353mm

This gorgeous Italian violin has a one-piece maple back displaying only modest flame. The scroll and ribs match, and you can barely see the joint where the neck graph was expertly performed. The top is very fine-, straight-grained spruce, displaying some widening of the grain towards the bass side edge. The varnish was originally a dark caramel/honey color, and is still visible around the C-bouts and corners of the top. The varnish color has thinned with time and use leaving the violin with a medium café au latte color overall. Antiquing is genuine from age and use. There is the aforementioned thinning of the original color, some shoulder and case wear on the back, and a number of bow dings on the top. Some wear on the treble side corners of the top, and a couple of expertly repaired top cracks. All of which contribute to the wonderful character of this violin. The neck, projection, and bass bar have been modernized, and the work was expertly done.  The workmanship is excellent.