Lot Essay
Certificates: Rene Morel, New York, December 27, 1995, with attached photographs; Etienne Vatelot, Paris, January 10, 1996, with attached photographs; W.E. Hill & Sons, London, June 21, 1937 (copy only)
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PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN
GIOVANNI BAPTISTA GUADAGNINI
A VIOLIN, PIACENZA, CIRCA 1740
Details
GIOVANNI BAPTISTA GUADAGNINI
A VIOLIN, PIACENZA, CIRCA 1740
Labeled JOANNES GUADAGNINI fecit Placentiae anno 1740, length of back: 13 15/16 in. (354 mm) with case (5)
A VIOLIN, PIACENZA, CIRCA 1740
Labeled JOANNES GUADAGNINI fecit Placentiae anno 1740, length of back: 13 15/16 in. (354 mm) with case (5)
Provenance
It would appear to the casual observer that Giovanni Battista Guadagnini was a violin maker with a touch of wanderlust. Having worked in Piacenza, Milan, Parma and finally Turin, he developed a distinctive style based on his interpretations of the work by Antonio Stradivari. The results were violins that are tonally superior to many of his contemporaries. Guadagnini's early pieces from Piacenza represent works from a violin maker whose craft is already firmly developed. His masterful and individualistic style-seen here in the signature oval shape of the F holes' lower lobes and the undercutting on the volute-illustrate a maker who was very quick and deft in his tool handling skills. His illustrious red varnish, both brilliant and transparent, is of a quality that could incite jealousy in any contemporary maker.
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