'Servais' Stradivarius cello: quick facts
The 'Servais' is a Stradivari cello made in 1701, named after the Belgian virtuoso Adrien-François Servais, who owned and played it. It is a large instrument, built before Stradivari settled on the slightly smaller cello pattern he later preferred. The 'Servais' is part of the Smithsonian Institution's collection in Washington, D.C., where it is preserved and occasionally played. It is admired for its fine condition and for representing Stradivari's early work on cellos. Because so few Stradivari cellos survive, instruments like the 'Servais' are crucial to understanding how the maker approached the larger members of the string family.
Sources: Tarisio — Cozio Archive of stringed instruments; Library of Congress — Stradivari instruments / Whittall Collection; The Metropolitan Museum of Art — musical instruments collection; Smithsonian — National Music Museum / NMAH string instruments. Educational information only — not financial, investment, or appraisal advice. See our sources & fact-check policy.