Born in Granada, Spain in 1710, Jose Contreras is a renowned Spanish maker. It is thought that he apprenticed in Cremona, possibly working with Stradivari and Guarneri while there, and his instruments so resemble those of Stradivari that they have often been mistaken as Cremonese. Contreras is known as the “Spanish Stradivari.” In Spain, Contreras served as the caretaker of the Antonio Stradivari instruments made for the Royal Family housed in Madrid. This cello in particular is of exquisite quality and was gifted to Belgian cellist Fritz Giese by King Leopold I of Brussels as a Stradivari in the late 1800s. It was brought to the United States when Giese moved to Boston in the late 1880s and was recently certified by Charles Beare to be the work of Jose Contreras. The dark brown varnish and patina of the instrument is unique and indicative of the maturity of sound produced by this 260-year-old instrument. The depth of tone and resonance of this instrument feels endless in the lower register and moving up the cello the player realizes the range of colors and dynamics available to them are endless.