1610 Maggini Viola

Maker: Giovanni Paolo Maggini

Origin: Brescia, Italy

Made: 1610

Current Player: N/A

Sound Notes: Striking, powerful and tonally wide ranging

 

Ownership

Owner: Anonymous

Date Acquired: Undisclosed

Date Loaned to ACO: 2015

About the Instrument

Made circa 1610, this instrument is a wonderful example of the work of the maker Giovanni Paola Maggini.

The back is made from one piece of slab-cut maple, with medium width flames. The ribs are made of wood similar to the back. The scroll is made of plain maple. The table is made from a single piece of spruce of wide grain, the varnish is an orange brown colour on a golden brown ground.

About the Maker

Giovanni Paolo Maggini (c. 1580 - c. 1630), was a luthier born in Botticino (Brescia), Italy. Maggini was a pupil of the most important violin maker of the Brescian school, Gasparo da Salò. Maggini was highly regarded in his own right, and his violas, like those of his master’s, are regarded as some of the best in the world for their capacity for depth and tone.