Herman Lowendall Cello, First Decade 20th Century

LÖWENTHAL (LOWENDALL, LOWENDAHL), Louis Born 1836, Worked from 1855 Berlin Germany. Learned the cello as a child. Taught violin and bow making by Bausch in Leipzig and Heinrich Knopf in Berlin. Founded his own business 1855, manufacturing on a large scale and expanding into an American branch in 1867. There he anglicised his name from Lowenthall to Lowendall. Began a trade in antique instruments and tone wood and returned to Dresden 1873, visiting the USA and London regularly thereafter. From 1889 the company occupied a large building in Reichenberger Strasse, Berlin. Made a celebrated copy of Ole Bull’s del Gesù violin of 1744. Generally followed Stradivari models... - John Dilworth

This beautiful cello was marketed for export and sold by Lowendall after his 1889 move to Reichenberger Strasse in Berlin, and most likely in the first few years following the turn of the the century. Certainly, prior to 1910. The instrument has a label in the belly attributing it to a Hermann Lowendall, whom does not exist. Rather, this was a higher end trade name used to differentiate the same line of instruments between competitors Lowendall would have sold to. Whereas the cello was marketed and sold from Berlin, it is quite possible that it was acquired somewhere along the trade route spanning across Prague, Schonbach, and Dresden; the tonewoods bear a striking resemblance to the early and higher quality output from John Juzek.  The instrument is in rather good condition but has several older repairs, all of which are sound and stable. It boasts a colorful and well defined voice with excellent response and has seen a significant amount of professional use.

Technical Measurements:

LOB: 762 mm; exactly 30.”
UB: 335mm
LB: 442mm
SL: 69.2mm