A magnificent double bass by the 16th-century Italian master Gasparo da Salo, with original scroll. Includes measurements

‘Extraordinary ? this is the word that came into my mind the first time I saw this double bass. Just the sight of it is breathtaking. The model itself is exceptional ? the round, well-sized middle bouts with their long corners fitting so agreeably the round, wide upper and lower bouts; and the upper block curve which runs steeply up towards the neck, making the instrument very comfortable to play.

‘The table is also outstanding: the two-piece hazel spruce is of the finest quality and is fine-grained all over and strongly hazeled. Nowadays it would be very difficult to find a piece of wood like this, especially considering that not only is the bass 450 years old, but the wood used for the table would have come from a tree of around 200 years old at the time of making.

‘In his typical manner, Gasparo da Salo keeps the arching low. There is no fluting from the edge and the arch finds its highest point quickly from the outline. At the breast the arching has sunk considerably ? by 8mm ? giving the whole arching a unique appearance.’ ? Stefan Krattenmacher