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Scan 168
The Hawley Collection of violins, 1904
18 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 94. See the scan on archive.org.
1removed from Turin, and worked in Pavia, Parma, and Piedmont. His nephew Carlo, son of Gaetano, and his sons carried on the business in Turin in an indifferent manner. His grandson Antonio, however, who brings the family down to recent years, dying in 1861, was a conscientious maker and produced a considerable number of violins, violas, and 'cellos.
3Giovanni Francesco Pressenda
5Giovanni Francesco Pressenda was born in the year 1777. Early imbued with the idea of becoming a violin-maker, he visited Cremona and the shops of Storioni and Ceruti, where he acquainted himself with the early traditions of that famous center, as Ceruti was well versed in all of the violin-lore of his profession. Later he worked with Guadagnini in Piedmont, after which he established himself in Turin. He adopted from the first a broad, flat pattern, using wood of the finest kind and a varnish of excellent quality. In his model he followed the ideas of Stradivari and Guarneri as interpreted by the great makers of Paris, where Lupot, Pique, Gand, and others had evolved a very broad, robust pattern. Stradivari, however, was his favorite model. He exercised great care in the selection of wood. In fact it is rare to find one of his instruments with wood other than the best. He used a reddish varnish of excellent quality. He cut his sound hole in a masterly manner; his edges are broad and strong. He was a prolific workman, and until the year of his death in 1854, he worked assiduously at the bench.
7Giuseppe Antonio Rocca
9Giuseppe Antonio Rocca was a pupil of Pressenda, and, having established himself in Turin, continued to produce violins on the same lines as his master. He employed the form of Stradivari chiefly, but there are several which bear his label modeled after Guarneri. His work varies much more than Pressenda's. He used two qualities and colors of varnish, golden yellow and a rich red. The former is usually found on his cheaper instruments. His better violins are equal to Pressenda's best work, and command in Europe about the same prices. He used splendid wood and finished his work with care. He worked until about 1865, and was the originator of many violins.
11The Tononi Family
13In Bologna the Tononi family occupied the most prominent position from about 1690 to the latter part of the eighteenth century. Carlo Tononi was the first and flourished in the last part of the seventeenth and the first part of the eighteenth centuries. He was followed by his son, Carlo Antonio, who, according to his own testimony, was born in Bologna. He varied his model, now employing a broad, flat pattern and again having a higher arching. He used varnish of fine quality, which in color ranges from an orange to a deep red. His instruments have fine tone power. He was followed by several others of the name. Giovanni's work much resembled his brother's. Others of the family were Felice and Guido.
15Marchi and Guidanti
17Giannantonio Marchi worked in Bologna the latter part of the eighteenth and first part of the nineteenth centuries. He did excellent work, used handsome wood, and a splendid orange color varnish. Joannes Florentus Guidanti was one of the prominent makers of Bologna. He used an orange colored varnish and wood of good quality.
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