Tommaso Balestrieri

Tommaso Balestrieri was one of the principal violin makers of eighteenth-century Mantua and an important successor to the tradition established there by Pietro Guarneri. Although Balestrieri described himself on his labels as Cremonese, no documentary record of him has yet been found in Cremona, and he may instead have come from the countryside between Cremona and Mantua. His training is likewise uncertain. ...Read More Camillo Camilli is often proposed as his teacher, while the possibility of earlier experience in Cremona cannot be excluded. Balestrieri’s earliest instruments sometimes show the rounded forms and lighter handling associated with Camilli, but his mature work developed a much more forceful character. He favored broad models, relatively flat arching and strong proportions derived in part from Stradivari, while retaining elements of the Mantuan tradition that ultimately descended from Pietro Guarneri. His workmanship can be less refined than Camilli’s, but at its best it has considerable vitality and purpose. The varnish is generally firmer and less supple than that of the great Cremonese makers, ranging through golden-brown tones and sometimes showing a slight greenish cast. His scrolls are often openly cut, with restrained chamfers and a directness that can anticipate aspects of later Lombard work. Balestrieri’s best violins are particularly valued for their broad, powerful tone and have long enjoyed an excellent reputation as concert instruments. Read Less