GENNARO GAGLIANO

A close look at the work of great and unusual makers

Lutherie

The son of Alessandro Gagliano and a brother of Nicolò, Gennaro Gagliano holds a special place among the violin makers of the Neapolitan school.

Unfortunately it is difficult to indicate the exact dates of his birth and death, as various sources provide different dates. But judging from the instruments that have survived today, the main period of his creativity was roughly from the 1730s to the first half of the 1780s.

Gennaro’s individual creative style demonstrates his extensive knowledge of instrument acoustics. The elaborate modelling of the bodies, the arching, the elegant placement and size of the f-holes, and the refined varnish all allow his instruments to produce a profound, crystal-clear sound.

There is undoubtedly a close connection between the work of Gennaro and the finest makers of the Cremonese school. The influence of Amati and Stradivari can be seen in many details. Some sources even suggest that Gennaro was a pupil of Stradivari in his early youth, but we have no proof of that.

MODEL AND MATERIALS

The two-piece back is made from maple with flames of medium width, ascending very slightly from the centre joint. The belly, also in two pieces, is of spruce. The grain is of varying width, some slightly wider, but very narrow towards the centre on the treble side.

The ribs are from the same maple as the back. The scroll is of maple with a more narrow, deep flame. The arching of the violin is not particularly high, and the sound is deep and clear.

F-HOLES

With a length of 74mm, the f-holes are very elegant. The distance between the upper eyes is 42mm. The treble-side upper eye is rounder than that of the bass side, which is slightly larger and more oval. The placement of the f-holes fits organically into the shape of the instrument.

PURFLING

The purfling is 1.2mm wide. The ‘white’ central strip is of beech, which was typical of the Neapolitan school of that time. The two ‘black’ outer strips are probably made from dyed pearwood, which was often used by Italian violin makers. The purfling is inserted very accurately and is technically flawless.

SCROLL

The scroll is elegantly carved, with a fairly symmetrical balance between the left and right sides. Small compass dots are still visible on the central ridge of the back of the scroll, for the full length almost up to the pegbox. These dots were marking points. The pegbox was made in a very clean and precise way and it is practically impossible to find any chisel marks.

VARNISH

The varnish is of a very beautiful yellow– red–orange colour, and is excellently preserved on every part of the violin, without any later retouching.

LABEL

The original label reads ‘Januarius Gaglianus / Fecit Neap.1762’ and three certificates, by W.E. Hill & Sons (1898), Pierre Vidoudez (1985) and Beare Violins Ltd (2020), attest to this date.

ALL PHOTOS PABLO LEÓN