Joseph Hill

Hill's finest achievements are his cellos. Built on a good modern pattern with well-judged proportions, they are tonally capable instruments that remain sought after by professional players — a distinction few English makers of the period can claim. His contralto violas run them close, and the best of his signed violins, finished in a richer golden or red-brown varnish, show a maker working at a level well above the London trade average of his day. It is in these pieces that his understanding of the Italian Amati model is most apparent; he was among the earliest English makers to move beyond the distorted Stainer copies that dominated the domestic market, and the better instruments show this clearly. His output was deliberately tiered: trade pieces were produced efficiently and without pretension, while signed work received his best materials and closest attention. Some instruments are found under the labels of provincial dealers he supplied, which can complicate attribution. Joseph Hill was born in Alvechurch, Worcestershire in 1715 and trained under Peter Wamsley at the Harp and Hautboy in Piccadilly, a workshop that also formed Benjamin Banks. He arrived in London around 1746 and was working independently by 1753, his earliest known label citing High Holborn. He moved through several Westminster addresses before settling at the Haymarket in 1765, beside the King's Theatre, where he remained until around 1780. From 1773 to 1776 the business traded as Joseph Hill and Sons. He retired to Avery Row on New Bond Street, where W.E. Hill and Sons would later establish themselves, and died in 1784, buried in Hanover Square. He had six sons, five of whom became violin makers.