Auguste Delivet*SOLD*

sku Product SKU:  15058

After serving his apprenticeship in Mirecourt with his uncle Victor Rambaux, Delivet went to Paris to work with H.C.Silvestre. He opened his own shop in Paris in 1892. In 1918 he left Paris for Canada. It seems that his best work, such as this violin, was that done in Paris. He won numerous awards and medals during those years.

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Jules Grandjon *SOLD*

sku Product SKU:  18334

Jules Grandjon worked in Paris and Amsterdam before opening his very successful workshop in Mirecourt in 1850. His work won a number of medals at a number of competitions at Paris and London. This is a beautiful example of his work with a big powerful tone.

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Mario Frosali

sku Product SKU:  19227

Trained originally as a violinist, Frosali established as a violinmaker in Florence in 1932 having studied with Giuseppe Scarampella. Emigrating to America, he worked first in New York where he worked for Emil Herrmann. While there he worked alongside Simone Sacconi. He moved to Los Angeles in 1939 working at Wurlitzer in their violin department, establishing his own shop in 1954. In 1949 he was the only American maker to win an award at a major competition in the Hague.  He was enormously successful and his instruments were (and still are) in great demand both in the Los Angeles area as well as here in the Bay Area.

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Daniele Tonarelli *SOLD*

sku Product SKU:  15566

Since graduating from the school of violin making in Cremona fifteen years ago, Daniele Tonarelli has distinguished himself in a number of competitions around the world. This beautifully crafted violin is in the classic modern Cremona style. The tone is even, warm and clear.

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Andrea Schudtz

sku Product SKU:  19406

Andrea began his career in violin making with his father in Moscow and was already an established maker when he began his studies at the violin making school in Cremona, graduating in 1995. He has won numerous awards at international competitions.

 

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J.E. Hardwick

sku Product SKU:  17383

Hardwick was a pupil of George Wulme Hudson. This violin has a brilliant, powerful tone.

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Luigi Mozzani

sku Product SKU:  13174

Mozzani was a guitar prodigy as a youth who began constructing plucked instruments. He opened up a successful workshop making plucked and bowed stringed instruments. The workshop employed several talented luthiers, and received instruction on violin making from the renowned Carletti family. This violin was made after moving to Bologna, where the business thrived. It has a strong, sweet tone.

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Antonino Cavalazzi*SOLD*

sku Product SKU:  479

Cavalazzi was a student of Domenico Veggi and established his workshop in the late 1920’s. A highly respected maker, he also did extensive research in varnish chemistry. This violin has a full, warm tone of great quality.

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Ada Quaranta

sku Product SKU:  15778

Ada Quaranta’s instrument are in great demand because of their great quality. She studied at the Cremona school beginning in 1990 after receiving her diploma in violin performance. After graduation, she worked in some of the most important shops in Germany and France. She has won numerous awards for her work. We are pleased to be able to offer this fine example of her work.

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Luigi Rovatti

sku Product SKU:  17733

This violin has a brilliant, responsive tone. The maker emigrated to Argentina from Italy, and may have studied with Joseph and/or Enrico Rocca.

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Paul Blanchard *SOLD*

sku Product SKU:  19070

We are pleased to offer this superb violin by Paul Blanchard of Lyon, one of the great 19th century violin makers. Born in Mirecourt, the cradle of French violin making, he began his studies at the age of 15. He subsequently trained with and worked for some of France’s most prominent luthiers, including Darte and Silvestre. At the fresh age of 19 he established his own shop in Lyon, where he had a long and storied career. The most prominent instrument maker in Lyon during his lifetime, he was appointed official luthier to the Lyon Conservatory, the Lyon theaters, and the Lyon orchestra. Made at the height of his ability, this violin is of luminous tonewood dressed in a rich red varnish. It has a vibrant tone and is in excellent condition. It is accompanied by a Moennig certificate.

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Charles Adolphe Gand *SOLD*

sku Product SKU:  18794

Like so many of the finest luthiers, Charles Adolph Gand grew up in a family with a long lineage of important makers. His pedigree can be traced back to Nicolas Lupot of Orleans, arguably France’s most influential maker. After studying with and working for Francois Pique, the first of the French makers working in the “modern” style, Lupot set up in Paris in 1798. His accolades include an appointment to the Imperial Chapel in 1813, luthier to King Louis XVIII in 1816, and a commission as luthier to the Paris Conservatory of Music in 1817, to whom he would make an instrument for the winner of the annual competition. In 1802 he hired Charles Francois Gand, known as Gand Pére, as apprentice.

Charles Francois Gand, the father of Charles Adolph Gand, was himself a first rate luthier. Having learned the “modern” style from his master, Gand Pére constructed instruments on the Stradivarius model rather than the Stainer or Amati models. In other words, he preferred instruments with a flatter arching which achieved a powerful sound fit for contemporary concert halls. In 1820 he acquired the shop of another influential Parisian maker, Koliker, building a large atelier of international importance. Though he was considered a rival to the thriving businesss of Vuillaume and Lupot, he maintained a good relationship with Lupot. When Lupot retired in 1824, he passed all his official appointments to Gand Pére.

Charles Adolph Gand, also known as Gand Frére, took over his father’s shop in 1845. Steeped in a rich tradition of France’s best luthiers, Gand flourished as one of the finest makers of his generation. Working with his brother Eugene, he won 1st prize at the Paris Exhibition in 1855, receiving the prize directly from Napoleon III, the emperor of France. In 1862 he was made Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, the highest honor in France. A source of national pride, he was also the official luthier to the Paris opera and to the Emperor. Because he was an acclaimed expert of old instruments he had limited time to make instruments. Yet his entire production is of the highest quality, and is sought after by collectors and professional musicians alike.

This violin is exemplary of his production. All the woodwork is exquisite and elegant, the varnish a rich red with a touch of antiquing. The tone is clear and fresh with plenty of power. It is in exceptional condition and would be fit for a collector or professional musician. It is accompanied by a certificate from Jean-Jacque Rampal from 2020.

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Georgio Martini

sku Product SKU:  16980

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Luigi Villa 16 ½"

sku Product SKU:  7038

Luigi Villa was born in Pesano in 1919. He attended art school and became a sculptor, working in wood. He also began to study violin making on his own while still young. For ten years Villa worked with Pierro Parravicini in Bovisio, one of the most important violin makers of the 20th century, thus continuing the tradition handed down to Parravicini by his teacher, Romeo Antoniazzi. For the rest of his career Luigi Villa operated a violin shop, doing repairs and restorations as well as making fine new instruments.

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Giovanni Rosadoni 16 ¼” *SOLD*

sku Product SKU:  10385

Born in 1905, Rosadoni concentrated on viola making. This nice viola represents an exceptional value in a well made Italian instrument.

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Clifford Roberts 16 ½"

sku Product SKU:  17549

After studying in Cremona for several years, Clifford settled in Philadelphia. Although he suffered from a rare neuromuscular disorder, he crafted over 60 violas, all of a high caliber. Among his customers were members of the Julliard String Quartet and the Philadelphia Orchestra. This viola is a superb example of his work, with characteristic plain wood and a rich, dark tone.

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Shahram & Saeid Rezvani 16"

sku Product SKU:  18343

Over the last 25 years the brothers Rezvani have made more than 500 violins, violas, and cellos. They began their studies in Iran with Ibrahim Ghambari Mehr, ex-student of the Parisian master, Etienne Vatelot, and later in Vienna with Johann Rombach. They continue perfecting their art as members of the Violin Society of America, working with such masters as Joseph Curtin. Now based in Los Angeles, they produce excellent instruments. Their work is very characteristic, resonant and sweet, easy to play, rich in tone color. We currently have 2 fine violas, both of which are quite responsive and represent a great value for the performing musician.

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Paul Hilaire 16 ½" *SOLD*

sku Product SKU:  17989

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Caesar Castelli 16 ½"

sku Product SKU:  15613

A student of Constantine Celani and Giuseppe Ornati, Castelli won over a dozen prizes before passing away in 2003 at the age of 91. He worked in his native Ascoli Piceno, making over 200 violins, 70 violas, and 30 cellos. His workmanship is of the highest quality. This viola has a strong, rich tone and is very responsive.

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Lawrence Brown 16 ¼"

sku Product SKU:  18819

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