A Fine and Rare Italian Bass by Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Brescia, c. 1610 - May 2011 New York

Tarisio is delighted to present the 'Delmas' double bass by Giovanni

Paolo Maggini. It is the first Maggini bass to be offered at auction for

over a century and is in extraordinarily fine condition for its age. An

online article by historian and expert Duane Rosengard provides an

extensive history and analysis of this rare instrument.

Complete article and photographs

http://tarisio.com/wp/2011/03/the-delmas-double-bass-by-giovanni-paolo-maggini-4-2/

Of the approximately dozen surviving bass-register instruments by the

Brescian master, the 'Delmas' is the most complete and pure example of

Maggini's medium-sized bass form, and is the only one to retain its

original head. It is made on a virtually identical form to the ‘Dumas’

(the best-known medium-sized Maggini bass) but is more carefully

finished. For the front Maggini used a dense spruce, while the back and

ribs feature a delicately figured maple.

The bass is named after Alphonse-Joseph Delmas 'dit Boussagol'

(1891–1958), one of the leading French bassists and pedagogues of the

20th century. It is not known where the instrument spent the centuries

before passing to Delmas, but a repair label dated 1836 from Andreas

Miller of Innsbruck suggests that it spent at least some of that time in

Austria.

The 'Delmas' is a superb example of Maggini’s mature artistry and its

survival over four centuries is a tribute to both its durability and the

high esteem in which it has been held

… *read more *

http://tarisio.com/wp/2011/03/the-delmas-double-bass-by-giovanni-paolo-maggini-4-2/