Sale - 2pm, 27th June 2012

June 27 th 2012
104
228
A Very Fine Italian Viola by P.J. Mantegazza, Milan 1772
Labelled: Petrus Joannes Mantegatia fecit Mediolani in Via S. Margaritae 1772
Length of back: 16 1/16ins, 408mm
Sold with the original fingerboard, bearing the W.E. Hill & Sons Registration No. P128 and with the
certificate of Peter Biddulph, London 2012
Pietro Giovanni Mantegazza is an important figure in Italian violin making, between the great masters
of the classical period, and the renaissance led by Pressenda and Rocca in Turin in the next generation.
Evidently the pupil of Carlo Ferdinando Landolphi, his work is more consistent and disciplined, but
retains the fluidity of earlier makers. He also retained something of the great varnishes of the 17th
century, maintaining a soft, deeply coloured recipe of depth and richness. He made a relatively large
number of violas, of which this is a striking and characteristic example. The slightly elongated, slender
soundholes show Landolphi’s influence, as does the strongly defined and distinctive head. The strong
arching, of medium height but considerable fullness, is typical of Mantegazza’s work, and seems to be
his own development. Although slightly reduced in the upper bouts, this viola is a very original and
authentic instrument.
£80,000 - £120,000