An absolutely stunning Italian violin made by Antonio Mariani, Pesaro c.1640. Distinctly Brescian in appearance and tone it is a very special instrument indeed.

Tonally the violin is impressive in all areas, quite remarkable. It has a very dark, characterful lower end, with an Italian core; strong, clear and precise all over, with sweet overtones at the top. It’s one of the most tonally impressive violins ever heard. Simply a tone that has developed and matured over the past 380 years to make it the instrument it is today.

The back, ribs and scroll are original, the front being a later 19th century addition.

About Antonio Mariani:

Antonio Mariani was believed to have studied in Brescia under Giovanni Paolo Maggini in the early 17th century and later was mostly active in Pesaro. The Mariani family, active in Pesaro in the seventeenth and the early eighteenth century, began to devote themselves to the construction of instruments with Fabio, defined by profession as a "guitar maker", an activity that was continued by his two sons: Ludovico and Antonio, to whom most of the still existing bowed instruments are traditionally attributed.

The violin comes with a certificate by Andreas Woywod, London 2009.