Worked in London, 1780-1815, at Cannon Street Road, Ratcliffe Highway. Employed as a Custom House Officer. Among the violin making worthies of England, he holds, and will always hold, a foremost place. We should be proud of his genius. Among British copyists of the Stradivarius and Amati outline and arching, he stands out beyond them all. ’Cellos especially have many claims to merit. Workmanship superb, and always full of interest. Scroll manifests individuality at times, and even when of ordinary pose, quite well worth looking at. Sound-holes gracefully shaped and splendidly positioned, also very nice purfling. Sides of instruments are perhaps a little too low to suit every connoisseur. Used the best wood procurable. Particularly rich varnish of reddish tint, also one equally fine of a yellowish brown shade. Tonal quality immeasurably superior in clearness and sweet sonority to that obtainable from many Italian instruments of greatly inflated price. Though a prolific maker few violins now bear his label. Unscrupulous ticketers have frequently obliterated his name and inserted those of Ruggeri, Amati and others. This fraudulent practice not exposed until some of the instruments have been opened by repairers who have found “Charles Harris” written in ink sometimes twice on ribs, twice on breast, and once on the back near top block.
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Charles Harris fecit
in Cannon Street, London, 1791
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Often alluded to as the “English Amati”.
Worked in London, 1780-1815, at Cannon Street Road, Ratcliffe Highway. Employed as a Custom House Officer. Among the violin making worthies of England, he holds, and will always hold, a foremost place. We should be proud of his genius. Among British copyists of the Stradivarius and Amati outline and arching, he stands out beyond them all. ’Cellos especially have many claims to merit. Workmanship superb, and always full of interest. Scroll manifest...