The wood chosen for this violin follows the characteristics of the original instrument. The top's spruce was carefully selected and comes from Val di Fiemme, the same source the Cremonese Masters used to get their wood.  The one-piece back maple with medium flames comes from the Balkans. The violin receives its name from its first known owner, violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti, who is said to have received it as a love token from Catherine the Great. Many consider the violin being second in quality and in preservation only to the celebrated "Messiah" Stradivarius. This instrument is painted with a bright reddish-brown varnish." Luiz Amorim