J.J. Gilbert violin, 1886, New Romney, Kent | Metzler Violins

Crafted in the year 1886, this Jeffrey James Gilbert violin ranks amongst the instruments with which J. J. Gilbert completed his informal training. As the son of an old Kentish family, he was not permitted to undergo a luthier's standard training since his father had intended for him to pursue another professional path. However, in his interactions with outstanding masters and aficionados of the craft he aspired to, Gilbert found sources of guidance and patrons who helped the highly talented young man with a burning passion for his art to become the exceptional artist whose mastery can be seen in this instrument, his op. 47