LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Girolamo Amati II was the final violin maker of the illustrious Amati dynasty – and possibly the most overlooked. Barbara Meyer examines a 1671 violin from his early career and contrasts it with another instrument he made 48 years later

The 1671 Girolamo Amati II violin

ALL VIOLIN PHOTOS IAN BREAREY

For almost a century, violin making in Cremona was dominated by the Amati family. The parish of Santi Faustino e Giovita, where Andrea Amati set up his workshop in 1538, became a mecca for customers seeking the best violins and violas, a tradition continued by Andrea’s sons Antonio and Girolamo, and especially by his grandson Nicolò. Even despite the competition from other talented Cremonese makers, the workshop of Nicolò Amati reigned supreme, as he busied himself training other luthiers while crafting some of the finest instruments the world had yet seen. To an outsider, it must have seemed as if the legacy of the Amati family would continue for decades if not centuries.

Life, however, had not been without significant challenges for the Amatis. Years of famine were followed by a plague in 1630 that swept across parts of Europe, decimating 60 per cent of Cremona’s population. Nicolò Amati was just 34 years old when he lost his parents, two sisters and other family members to the plague. The gifted and exceptionally trained master persevered, continuing to work at the family workshop established by his grandfather. This hub of Cremonese violin making was in an area with an abundance of artisans and merchants. In 1645 Nicolò married Lucrezia Pagliari, their wedding officially witnessed by one of their live-in workshop apprentices, Andrea Guarneri – who was to become an eminent Cremonese violin maker himself.

Four years later, in 1649, Lucrezia gave birth to Girolamo Amati (also known as ‘Hieronymus’ and referred to in this article as Girolamo Amati II). He was their third child and the second to survive. By that time, Nicolò was already 53 years old and his workshop was regaining momentum after the plague years. Around five years previously, in another Cremonese parish, a boy named Antonio was born to the Stradivari family.

During his childhood, Girolamo II and his siblings shared the family home with extended family, numerous workshop staff (including locals and foreigners) and, eventually, servants. The acclaimed Amati instruments were still in growing demand in 1649, and Nicolò set the bar extremely high by crafting what some consider to be the most elegant violin ever made. This instrument was eventually tagged the ‘Alard’ and is now housed at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

By 1662 Girolamo II was old enough to join Nicolò’s workshop and acquaint himself with the sophisticated sequence of steps and creative decisions intrinsic to the ‘Amati method’, developed and refined by his ancestors. Cremona had by this time been under Habsburg–Spanish occupation for three generations. Foreign taxes were high and the town’s once prosperous and internationally renowned textile industry was in decline. Nicolò Amati continued to be the sought-after maestro, and workshop assistants came and went; some spoke the Cremunés dialect, others Paduan, and a few even had German accents.

In 1671, the 22-year-old Girolamo, a budding professional instrument maker, crafted a violin under his 74-year-old father’s guidance. It was common practice for the head of the workshop’s name to appear on an instrument’s label, rather than the one who actually made it; hence this violin carries Nicolò’s name (figure 1):

Nicolaus Amatus Cremonen. Hieronymi Fil. Ac Antonij Nepos Fecit. 1671

It was probably Girolamo II who selected the material. The maple is delicately figured on the back and ribs, and plain for the neck-block. It has been perfectly quarter-cut. Unevenly scattered bearclaw figure ruffles the surface of the one-piece spruce front. The grain is wide on the bass side, becoming increasingly narrow on the treble. Whereas the outlines, scroll and f-holes are all in line with the Amati tradition, the model is petite compared to some of those used for Nicolò’s violins.

Next, using a compass, Girolamo II created a series of reference points placed precisely 13.6mm apart along the spine, and then carved the scroll (figure 2). His toolmarks are evident around the turns of the volute (figure 3), while the fluting at the back of the pegbox is carefully finished (figure 4). The fluting and central spine are well defined overall, but stop prematurely at the throat (figure 5, page 26).

FIGURE 1 Label of the 1671 violin

FIGURE 2 The scroll has been expertly carved

FIGURE 3 Toolmarks around the turns of the volute

FIGURE 4 The fluting of the scroll is carefully finished

FIGURE 5 The fluting stops prematurely at the throat

FIGURE 6 Centre pin located near the button

FIGURE 7 Girolamo cut wide, upright f-holes

FIGURE 8 The corners are short and elegant

ALL PHOTOS IAN BREAREY

Girolamo II then attached willow blocks to the mould and bent the ribs. He assembled the fragile structure and lined the ribs with thin, narrow strips of willow, inserting those for the C-bout into the corner-blocks. This meant that he could then centre the neck heel, and fit and glue it to the upper rib.

Prominent, carefully positioned centre pins (figure 6) kept the back and front in place when transferring the outline of the rib structure. Girolamo could then remove the mould. To hold the neck in place, he drove a few nails through the top-block and rib, into the heel of the neck.

Next, Girolamo joined the back wedges with the figures running horizontally across. He carved the arches, hollows and then calibrated the thickness of both plates. His elegant arching is broader and noticeably less scooped than his father’s. Next, he positioned and cut the f-holes. They are wide and, to allow for sufficient bridge width, more upright (figure 7).

The next job was to fit and glue the bass-bar, and assemble the cassa armonica (soundbox). After that, Girolamo inserted the purfling and deflecting mitres into short, broad elegant corners (figure 8). The dark, translucent varnish he applied would develop an interesting craquelure in decades to come.

In 1677 Girolamo II, now 28 years old, married Angela Carrettoni, and in the following years they had two daughters and a son. But Girolamo’s life soon took a sad and unfortunate turn. His father Nicolò died in 1684, at the age of 87. The following year Angela died, followed in 1687 by their three-year-old son. Aged nearly 50, Girolamo II left Cremona in 1698 and apparently didn’t return for another 20 years. There has been speculation about whether his departure was driven by grief, economic pressure (he reportedly had a series of debts) or other reasons. What we do know is that Girolamo appears to have left his family, the workshop and the network of instrument makers who undoubtedly benefited from knowing his father, one of the most important teachers in the history of violin making.

From Cremona, Girolamo II moved to Piacenza, around 25 miles west of Cremona. It has been suggested that he found employment in Soragna, a small town near Parma where the local count commissioned various instruments from him between 1700 and 1715. During Girolamo’s absence from Cremona, the city saw many changes, which included Antonio Stradivari’s workshop becoming the most dominant and financially successful force in Cremona. In 1707 the Habsburg–Spanish occupation lost its power to the Austrian Empire, so Austrian soldiers soon occupied the town. Small violin making communities were now present in several cities across Italy, especially Brescia, Florence, Rome, Naples and ‘La Serenissima’ (the Venetian Republic), which had a bustling artistic community of inspired makers.

VIVID TOOLMARKS CREATE A REGULAR PATTERN, BOTH ON THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTA L SIDES OF THE VOLUTE

Girolamo II returned to Cremona in 1717, at the age of 68. Two years later he began work on one of his last surviving violins. By this time his old family house was owned by his son-in-law, but it is unclear as to whether the family workshop was available for Girolamo’s use.

For this violin, Girolamo used a slab-cut, vividly figured one-piece back (figure 9) and plain slab-cut wood for the head and neck (figure 10). The ribs were made from quarter-cut maple, while the spruce for the front was slab-cut (figure 11).

Vivid toolmarks create a regular pattern, both on the vertical and horizontal sides of the volute (figure 12). The spine and fluting in the throat both finish somewhat abruptly, leaving a rippled surface of gouge marks (figure 13, page 28). The inside corner-blocks also display a similarly agitated surface. However, in contrast, the edgework and purfling flow elegantly (figure 14). The f-holes, despite differently shaped wings, seem to be based on those of his father’s model (figure 15). A striking feature of the violin is the back of the pegbox, where toolmarks, together with wear and tear, create quite a dramatic sight (figure 16).

The instrument’s label (figure 17) reads:

Hieronymus Amatus Cremonen. Nicolai Figlius Fecit. 1719 (date handwritten)

Both of these instruments eventually made their way to England, although sadly there is no record of their owners before that time. The 1671 Girolamo Amati II violin was bought by John Rutson (1829–1906), a Cambridge-educated magistrate and director of the Royal Academy of Music (RAM). He was also a board member of the council at the Royal College of Music, and a generous benefactor of both the institution and individual Academy students.

FIGURE 9 Back of the 1719 Girolamo Amati II violin, also part of the Royal Academy of Music collection

FIGURE 10 The head is made from slab-cut maple

FIGURE 11 The spruce of the front is also slab-cut

FIGURE 12 Toolmarks on the volute

FIGURE 13 Gouge marks are visible in the throat of the 1719 violin

FIGURE 14 The edgework and purfling flow elegantly

FIGURE 15 The f-holes seem to be based on those of Nicolò Amati

FIGURE 16 The back of the pegbox has an air of drama about it

FIGURE 17 Label of the 1719 instrument

He was a keen collector of watercolours and fine instruments. In 1906, both violins came to the Royal Academy of Music as part of the ‘Rutson Bequest’, which consisted of nine fine Italian instruments: three by members of the Amati family, three by Antonio Stradivari and one each by Cappa, Rota and Pressenda.

The 1719 violin by Girolamo II was bequeathed to the Royal Academy of Music in 1956 by Vida Kenion, who received an LRAM in 1894 and was associated with both the Academy and the Royal College of Music. Kenion, a violin teacher, lived and worked in Rock Ferry, the Wirral, Liverpool. Newspaper clippings say she performed chamber music and violin solo repertoire. At the time of the bequest, the violin was thought to be a Rugeri, but upon its arrival in London from Liverpool, Arthur Phillips Hill concluded that the instrument was by Girolamo II (figure 18, page 31).

SIGNS OF WEAR, CRACKS AND REPLACED EDGEWORK SUGGEST THAT THE VIOLIN HAS BEEN PLAYED INTENSIVELY

Signs of wear to the scroll, numerous cracks and replaced edgework suggest that the violin has been played intensively during its lifetime. The neck and top-block have been replaced and the set-up is modern. The inside of the front plate shows repair work that includes reinforcing studs and patches, as well as a replaced bass-bar, which is stamped ‘Pedrazzini’. This stamp may suggest that part, or all of the violin’s repairs were undertaken by his workshop before the violin travelled to the UK.

Giuseppe Pedrazzini, a successful, prize-winning violin maker and restorer, was born in 1879 and lived and worked in Milan from 1906 until his death in 1957. He cherished his business relationship with the London-based sheet music publisher Hawkes & Son. We can only speculate about whether this relationship played a part in the violin’s appearance in the UK and its acquisition by Vida Kenion.

DENDROCHRONOLOGY OF THE GIROLAMO II VIOLINS

The Royal Academy of Music commissioned a dendrochronological study of both Girolamo II’s violins by John Topham. His results are detailed below

A single sequence representing the front of the 1671 violin, labelled ‘Nicola’ Amati but attributed to Girolamo II, significantly crossdated against chronologies of instrument and non-instrument origin and dated instrument sequences. Results showed that the most significant cross-matching date obtained for the youngest ring measured on the one-piece front was 1642 CE. A further seven rings were observed beyond the purfling line bringing the youngest ring present on the front (terminus post quem) to 1649.

Significant cross-matches were found with the 1677 ‘Sunrise’ Stradivari violin (see graph) and other Stradivari instruments dated 1667 and 1687. Other cross-matches were found with instruments by Francesco Rugeri, Nicolò Amati, Jacob Stainer and Santo Serafin.

The 1719 Girolamo II violin has a two-piece front. The youngest ring on the bass side was dated to 1707, while that of the treble side was 1693. The closest cross-matches came from violins made by Francesco Gobetti in c.1710 and Matteo Gofriller, undated.

FIGURE 18 Certificate by Arthur Phillips Hill confirming that Vida Kenion’s instrument was by Girolamo Amati II rather than Rugeri

IMAGES COURTESY ROYALACADEMY OF MUSIC

The 1671 Girolamo II, meanwhile, is in good condition, despite the signs of wear and tear on the scroll and edgework. The neck, top-block and bass-bar have been replaced and the instrument’s set-up is modern. Two Hill stamps on the inside front suggest that the repairs, including small patches, were undertaken in the Hill workshop, possibly even before the instrument was bequeathed to the Academy.

A lot of research has been undertaken about the Amati family and yet so many questions remain. Girolamo II produced fewer instruments than his ancestors, perhaps in part because of his 20-year absence from the family’s workshop. Sadly, the last member of the instrument-making Amati dynasty died in poverty in 1740, five days before his 91st birthday. Girolamo II’s legacy evidences his indisputable talent.

With grateful thanks to colleagues at the Royal Academy of Music: Ian Brearey, Sheldon Gabriel, Adam Taylor and IJmkje van der Werf

A poster of the 1671 violin, including outlines and measurements, is now available at The Strad Shop: www.thestradshop.com