Violin by Carlo Giuseppe Testore, Milan, c.1715

This stunning Italian masterpiece, crafted by Carlo Giuseppe Testore in Milan around 1715, is a testament to the brilliance of Milanese violin-making tradition. This instrument exemplifies the excellence found in Testore's best works and represents a significant chapter in the history of violin craftsmanship. The strong character craftsmanship notable in its decisive arching, the edges, fluting, and purfling, along with the oval diagonal inclined scroll design, highlight the high quality and expressiveness of the finest and most cherished maker of the Testore Family. The exquisite Golden varnish, of exceptional transparency and luminosity, enhances the natural beauty of the wood, creating a unique aesthetic that harmonizes with the instrument's organic qualities and even translates visually the aggressiveness and power of its sound. The violin's sound is as strong and classy as its visual appeal. This instrument is in a fine state of preservation. With little intervention in it over the years, the violin portrays one of the few classic Milanese Varnish styles found in the antique masterpieces, most probably used during the periods of humid winter in the north of Italy due to its higher density resins recipe and higher stability to the cold. Much of the original varnish still adorns the instrument, giving its golden ground color life. Like most of Carlo Giuseppe's instruments, this exceptional violin was originally purfled at the back plate, and the back of the scroll was not carved later by a third-party intervention, as often happened to instruments of the later generations of the family. This not only indicates the higher level of skills applied to crafting this violin but also the care and enthusiasm the maker himself had for this instrument in particular. The top is made of two pieces of Italian spruce with fine to medium regular grain across the mirrored plates. The back is made of two matching pieces of slightly-flamed pattern maple with gorgeous and deep luminosity and the ribs and head. The varnish is of golden color, which later became the most used amongst the following generation of the family. The violin still carries its original label inside.