Bow & Bridge Violin and bow makers, as the old books printed them

Scan 137

The violin, its famous makers and their imitators, 1887

10 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.

1Son of Lorenzo Guadagnini.
3Joannes Baptista Guadagnini Placentinus fecit Mediolani 17—
5Joannes Baptista Guadagnini Cremonensis fecit Taurini 1776.
7where he became instrument-maker to the Duke. Upon the pensions to the artists of the Duke's Court being discontinued in 1772, he went to Turin, where he died.1 Count Cozio di Salabue communicated to Lancetti the following particulars relative to Giovanni Battista Guadagnini. He says, "He imitated Stradivari, but avoided close imitation of all detail, and prided himself in not being a mere copyist." He is said to have excited the jealousy of other makers, which caused him to remove so frequently, but most likely he offended chiefly with his hasty temper. Many of his instruments made in Turin between 1773 and 1776 have wood of the handsomest kind. Count Cozio ordered from him several instruments which he added to his collection, among them two Tenors and two Violoncellos. The interest Count Cozio manifested with regard to this maker is shown in his having obtained from the parish registers the dates of his birth and death. He states that he was born in Cremona in 1711, and died in Turin, September 18th, 1786. This last-named date is in conformity with that of 1785, recently given to me by the representatives of the family at Turin, as the last year in which he made instruments. Lorenzo has been regarded as the only pupil of Stradivari in the Guadagnini family; but if their respective works be closely examined, it will be found that those
91 The present representative of the family mentions Piacenza as the place of birth.

The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.