This cello, named “Drago von Lindstrom” by it’s owner, was a commissioned piece. The cellist wanted a special instrument to commemorate his mother, who had recently passed. He requested the head of a dragon instead of the traditional scroll and for the eyes of the dragon to be matching inset jewels taken from a necklace that his mother had worn.
Rachael worked with the client to discover what kind of dragon fit his vision. Dragons have a rich worldwide lore, and different cultures represent dragons differently. After many drawings and discussion, Rachael and the client landed on a design loosely informed by ancient Germanic carvings. These ancient examples of dragons in early art informed the design of the scroll and the custom-designed label that Rachael made for the cello.
Next, Rachael began carving from a block of maple. Despite the non-traditional design for the head stock, she wanted the cello to fit neatly into any standard cello case, to have a standard peg box for traditional functionality, and for the form and proportions to echo that of a traditional scroll. She wanted the design to be tasteful to the very conservative traditions of fine violin-making, but to surprise the viewer with it’s graceful departure into something new and different.
The jewel eye of the dragon was a special and meaningful part of the commission for the client.
The “Drago von Lindstrom” cello was perhaps one of Rachael’s favorite and most challenging projects. The creative license to depart from tradition and to use her fine-arts background with sculpture was pure fun as well as an intense use of her woodworking capabilities. Working closely with the client to realize his dreams brought Rachael so much satisfaction.
