Ansaldo Poggi

Probably the most renowned of Giuseppe Fiorini's students, Ansaldo Poggi owed his introduction to his teacher to the friendship between Fiorini and Poggi's father, an amateur violin maker. After learning the basics at home, Poggi moved to Zurich to train with Fiorini and then returned to Bologna several years later. ...Read More />The impact of Fiorini's style is especially evident in Poggi's first independent work. Rather than following the construction method used by Bolognese school founder Raffaele Fiorini whereby the external form is the basis, Poggi adopted his teacher Giuseppe Fiorini's classical approach, which uses the internal form. This use of classical techniques sets Poggi apart from other Emilian makers of the period, even those who also employed classical models. Beginning in the 1930s, Poggi began to depart from his teacher's style and develop his own more personal touches, with narrow borders, thin purfling extending to beestung corners, and varnish ranging from reddish-orange to pinkish-yellow, sometimes over a yellow or brown ground. The details of craftsmanship are often superb, and the choice of materials is outstanding. Instruments after the late 1920s often bear one or more brands, in various places. Poggi's instruments are well regarded for their excellent playing qualities in addition to their exquisite precision. Read Less