ANSALDO POGGI

WRITTEN BY ROBERTO REGAZZI

Ansaldo Poggi’s fame and reputation have had an incredible boost in the past few years, probably owing to some nancial speculation but also to the clear, distinct and outstandingly consistent features of his instruments. He gained his knowledge from the great Bolognese maker Giuseppe Fiorini. When Poggi apprenticed with Fiorini in Zurich, from 1921, his teacher was engaged in research into the original techniques of the classical Cremonese makers… is deep insight and experience helped Poggi create outstanding instruments without having to antique them, as was fashionable in many parts of Europe during his lifetime. Many famous musicians appreciated his work, among them Nathan Milstein, Aaron Rosand, David Oistrakh and Yehudi Menuhin. Today he is considered a superlative gure of the Italian modern era, and the monetary value of his instruments reThects his reputation as a maker of both perfect tools for musicians and wonderful visual masterpieces to be admired in a collection.

MAKER

ANSALDO POGGI

NATIONALITY

ITALIAN

BORN

1893

DIED

1984

INSTRUMENT

VIOLIN

DATE

1933

ALL PHOTOS ROBERTO REGAZZI

INSTRUMENT

All Poggi’s instruments are praised for their robust and penetrating sound… is one, built in 1933, is no exception. For some time it belonged to a former concertmaster at La Scala, Milan, who played it extensively. It was made when Poggi was living in Via Saragozza, Bologna, and his teacher Fiorini was still alive in Munich. It can be considered a marvellous example of his rst ‘golden’ period. As the instrument has been in private collections for many years, its state of preservation is exceptional.

MATERIALS

Poggi frequently chose this small, elegant model (the ‘Poggi piccolo’) during the 1930s and thereafter. His wood choice is typical for that decade: two pieces of topclass maple, deeply .amed with a robust grain, perfectly joined in a ‘V’ pattern. The top is also of exceptional quality: regular, perfectly cut spruce of medium grain, already quite seasoned and probably from the stock of his teacher.

F-HOLES

The f-holes are precisely and smoothly cut, with elegant notches and slightly oval upper eyes. In this particular case the lower eyes are more round, but both the upper and lower wings are large and imposing, in the peculiar style of Poggi.

EDGEWORK AND PURFLING

The pur.ing is made from solid unstained material, which always gives a pleasant look to Poggi’s instruments. Both the ‘black’ and the ‘white’ are perfectly mitred at the corners, with longer bee-stings than later Poggis. Each of them points with great precision halfway between the centre and the inner side of the slightly rounded corners.

VARNISH

Poggi’s varnish is alcohol-based, similar to that of his teacher. On this violin it has been perfectly applied, with the ground visible. It greatly enhances the handsome natural characteristics of the wood. At a later period Poggi used fading reds, but in all his instruments before World War II we can observe a better stability of colour when viewing them under a lamp. In this case, red was not the principal component; instead, it is of a solid amber hue, which is noble in character and well preserved.