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In Focus: An 1893 violin by Alexander Smillie

2025-03-07T08:44:00

Smillie front full

David Rattray presents a late 19th-century violin by the Scottish maker

Alexander Smillie was born in 1847 in Cambuslang, on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow. He was to become the head of a family of violin makers and dealers active in the city for over a century, beginning around 1870 when his business was located in the Crosshill area of Glasgow. In 1903 he located to more upmarket premises at St George’s Road in the city’s west end. Smillie produced around 300 instruments including violins, violas and cellos…

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