'The Baronet' George Craske, England (1875)

This is a wonderful violin, made by George Craske around 1875 (when he was 80 years old and had a rich and proliferate career full of experience of making instruments).

Label inside reads: “Made by George Craske - (born 1797, died 1888) - and sold by William E. Hill & Sons London.
Visible through the Bass side F-hole is a J & A Beare stock number, which matches the number on the receipt: “7921”

This instrument was sold by J & A Beare in April 1967 from their Wardour Street premises to a 7th generation Baronet who bought it for his daughter as a present for her 21st birthday. Receipt PRESENT and supplied with the instrument!

George Craske first studied violin making with William Forster in London and began making instruments for Thomas Dodd and the firm of Muzio Clementi in the early 19th century. After relocating several times (Bath, Leeds, Sheffield) in search of a satisfactory place to open a shop, he settled in Birmingham, where for the next 20 years he began an extremely prolific career as a talented copyist of Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari. After Birmingham he moved to Manchester, Salford and Stockport and retired to Bath. Craske was astoundingly productive, making over 2,500 instruments in his lifetime, all the more impressive because he worked without assistance and in complete seclusion. According to his labels, Craske was still making instruments in 1888, the year he died (at 92-93 years of age!). Materials, which he probably acquired from William Forster III, are usually very good. After Craske's death his entire inventory was left to his life-long friend George Crompton, who sold them to the firm of W. E. Hill & Sons for finishing, setting up and resale.