Exhibition Count Cozio and the Myth of Stradivari
Back to BlogAmorim Fine Violins is delighted to share with you a remarkable exhibition dedicated to one of the most visionary collectors in violin-making history: Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue.
Palazzo Madama, Turin | From September 19th to November 23rd 2025
Count Cozio and the Myth of Stradivari
Masterpieces in Piedmont between the 18th and 19th Centuries
On the occasion of the 270th anniversary of the birth of Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue, this exhibition celebrates and sheds light on the legacy of this remarkable collector, born in Casale Monferrato on 14 March 1755.
Unlike other collectors of his time, Cozio did not merely acquire valuable stringed instruments. By studying their provenance and construction, he became a true pioneer of what we now call the modern organological approach.
Through his collaboration with the violin maker Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Cozio succeeded in purchasing from Paolo Stradivari twelve of his father Antonio’s violins — including the legendary “Messiah”, built in Cremona in 1716 and considered the most famous Stradivari violin in the world. He also acquired the entire contents of Stradivari’s workshop: moulds, tools, cardboard patterns, and drawings. This invaluable heritage — a portion of which is presented in the exhibition — today stands as the historical memory of the Cremonese violin-making tradition.
The exhibition retraces Cozio’s life as a collector through seven sections, displaying 20 stringed instruments of exceptional historical importance, twelve of which once belonged to him. Many of these instruments are being shown to the public for the very first time. Among them is the 1668 violin by Nicolò Amati, inherited from Cozio’s father, which has never before been exhibited.
The journey is further enriched by rare plucked string instruments, representing a significant part of the production of violin makers active in Turin during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Archival documents from Cozio’s Carteggio also accompany the display, offering new insights into both the Count himself and the musical world in which his passion for string instruments flourished. A special section is dedicated to the Teatro Regio of Turin, featuring the unprecedented display of violins once owned by Piedmontese virtuosos Gaetano Pugnani (Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù”, 1736) and Giovanni Battista Viotti (Antonio Stradivari, 1718), alongside two rare portraits of the musicians.
Along the exhibition path, visitors will encounter the interactive 3D installation “The Shape of Sound,” which allows them to explore a faithful 3D replica of the “Salabue-Berta” violin. The ‘Salabue-Berta’ violin was built in Turin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in 1774 and is also presented in the exhibition. This section is further enhanced by the presence of a bench copy crafted by Luiz Amorim, a tangible bridge between historical mastery and contemporary craftsmanship.
