IPSWICH — A cello commissioned by landscape painter John Constable in 1802 will be played in public for the first time in 100 years. The instrument recently underwent a restoration funded by the Friends of Ipswich Museum and completed by restorers James and Sylvie Fawcett.

The cello was constructed in 1802 by John Dunthorne Sr., who also worked as a plumber, glazier, and carpenter. Dunthorne also painted and built musical instruments. In 1799, Constable informed Dunthorne that he had been accepted into the Royal Academy Schools. Constable's sketchbook contains a drawing of two musicians that art historians suggest may depict Constable playing the cello.

The Friends of Ipswich Museum raised more than £4,000 for the restoration project. Cellist Melanie Woodcock played the instrument during its restoration process. Woodcock stated, "They have done the most fantastic job. It sounds better than we could have hoped for."

The cello entered the Ipswich Collection, owned by the local council, in 1942. The instrument was previously restored in 1926 but became unplayable over time. Emma Roodhouse, a curator at Colchester and Ipswich Museums, stated, "It is remarkable in that it survives with all its fittings." Roodhouse stated, "As a self-taught artist and musical instrument maker, he is worthy of more than just a side note in Constable's story."

Woodcock will perform on the cello at a public event on June 10, alongside readings by author Susan Owens. Woodcock noted, "Although he was an amateur musician, it is incredible to think that it was his instrument and that he could have played it." Constable created paintings such as The Hay Wain and View on the Stour near Dedham. Constable wrote to Dunthorne in 1800, stating, "This fine weather almost makes me melancholy; it recalls so forcibly every scene we have visited and drawn together." In another letter, Constable stated, "I hope by the time the leaves are on the trees, I shall be better qualified to attack them than I was last summer." Dunthorne died in 1844 and was buried at St Mary's Church in East Bergholt.