SANTO SERAFIN

A close look at the work of great and unusual makers

ALL PHOTOS JONATHAN MAROLLE

Even though I have known this c.1750 Santo Serafin violin for more than 15 years and had the chance to examine it regularly, I was struck by the new details I noticed, which until now had escaped me. All his instruments demonstrate miraculous dexterity and refinement.

The main sources of inspiration throughout Santo Serafin’s career were Jacob Stainer and Nicolò Amati. He was born in in 1699 in Udine, a town around 80 miles north-east of Venice. I like to think that he began his career in the workshop of Francesco Gofriller, son of the more famous Matteo, who started work in Udine around 1714. The instruments of these two luthiers have nothing in common apart from the use of the same type of brand marking. Could Santo Serafin have left Udine for Venice with Francesco’s endorsement in his pocket? Whatever happened, he certainly arrived in the city shortly before 1720, an incredible period that also saw Pietro Guarneri and Carlo Tononi appear in that city.

MATERIALS

Santo Serafin’s tax records tell us that his business was flourishing at this time, which allowed him to obtain very high-quality wood for his instruments. His choice of materials is nearly always characterised by his sense of taste and delicacy. (I sometimes have reservations regarding the use of bird’s-eye maple.)

The spruce used for this c.1750 violin is of very tight grain in the centre, widening very gradually towards the edges. It seems the luthier kept the wood in storage for several years in order to age it, which gives the top a ‘zebra’ effect. The maple used for the back, head and ribs (with the exception of the bass-side C-bouts) is very fine-grained, with a lively and very regular flame. The wood is perfectly quarter-cut, and under the varnish the visual effect is admirable.

FORM AND CONSTRUCTION

The violin’s outline is strongly inspired by the ‘Grand Pattern’ of Nicolò Amati, and exudes a certain sensuality as well as a sense of ‘rawness’. The long, beautifully shaped corners look very elegant at first glance but on closer inspection, the way they are finished in the curve of the C-bouts gives them a somewhat stiff, ‘triangular’ look that I think makes them less graceful than those of Amati. In addition, the thickness of the edges at the corners decreases (a detail often observed in Santo Serafin’s work) which gives them a ‘flattened’ appearance.

The regularity of the purfling, around 3.5mm from the edge, is impeccable. The bee-stings point towards the centres of each corner. The joins vary from corner to corner.

Linings and corner-blocks are made of spruce. The linings are broad, rounded and set into the blocks.

The back rib is a one-piece maple. Above and under the button, one can see a vestige of the brand, which sadly seems to have been scraped off.

F-HOLES

The f-holes seem more inspired by Stainer. They are very straight, the upper eyes are of a very narrow diameter and go inwards under the wings. Conversely, the lower eyes are much more open and have a slightly ‘crushed’ appearance. The upper and lower wings are of similar proportions to one another.

TRANSLATION BY CHRISTIAN LLOYD