Henry Humphrey Saby

SABY, Henry Humphrey Born 1860 Northamptonshire UK, Worked circa. 1890-1904 Cape Town South Africa Violinist. Pupil of W. Callow in violin making and active in Nottingham. Emigrated to Cape Town, South Africa 1890. Established as a maker, dealer, and collector. Gold medal at Cape Town exhibition 1904. Stradivari-derived personal model; good workmanship. A Guarneri model double-bass of 1880 built from wood recovered from Bottesford Cathedral during restoration. Own golden red-brown varnish based on what he claimed was an eighteenth century Cremonese recipe. Approximately 80 violins and 20 violas. Early work branded externally on the lower rib: ‘Saby, Nottingham’. Later work branded internally: ‘Saby, Cape Town’ violas. Early work branded externally on the lower rib: ‘Saby, Nottingham’. Later work branded internal