Up until the beginning of the 18th century, cellos were of a fairly large size and the examples produced by Stradivari followed this custom. However, in 1700 the Cremonese master undertook a change, probably the result of special orders, and manufactured two smallersized cellos, as duly reported by the Hill Brothers. The ‘Stauffer’ is one of these two instruments and, because of its dimensions, is considered to mark a ‘transition’ from the models of the past to Stradivari’s ‘forma B’, which was to be developed from 1706 onwards.
More information: Antonio Stradivari Set 1, Volume 2, Page 88