Violin Maker
Don Nicola "Amati" Marchioni

Maker Background

Due to the lack of proper documentation, the true identity of Don Nicola "Amati" is unclear, and the work is stylistically unrelated to that of his Cremonese precedents. Historians have found indications in church files that it was a fantasy name created by a maker, apparently a priest, named Don Marchioni. The substantial similarity of the characteristics of the early 18th century instruments labeled 'D. Nicolaus Amati' supports the hypothesis that Marchioni was the single craftsman behind these masterpieces.

Marchioni has worked in the context of an already established violin-making tradition in Bologna, which at the time served as one of the leading centers of the Papal states and where the musical scenario was rather intense and active. The city's first prominent figures in the violin-making field were the members of the Tononi family, who can be considered as founders of its school, although such a lively artistic and musical center should most probably count with many others who did not stand out as much. So, by the early 18th century, Bologna had already counted with a notable classic luthierie tradition.

After Carlo Annibale Tononi left Bologna in 1713, the destiny of the city's tradition relied on his stylistic heirs, including Marchioni himself, but he still kept influencing the work of the following generation from his new position in Venice, serving as a bridge between both schools. By the time Marchioni consolidated his approach and style, the influence of Jacob Steiner's work on the Emilian artisans was already much less present than in the past century.

Marchioni's instruments are sought after for their exquisite, powerful, projective sound. His craftsmanship proposes a level of authenticity and expression in his approach and models that set him apart from other makers who, at the time, could be already simply copying Cremonese patterns without much contribution to the development of a personal style.