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31:

A VIOLA BY GIOVANNI FRANCESCO PRESSENDA, TURIN, 1826

31: A VIOLA BY GIOVANNI FRANCESCO PRESSENDA, TURIN, 1826


Labeled, "Joannes Franciscus Pressenda q. Raphael fecit Taurini anno Domini 1826."

LOB: 39.0 cm

Considered the father, and by many, the finest maker of the modern Turin school, Giovanni Francesco Pressenda trained in Turin during the 1820s under French makers before establishing his own workshop. A strong French influence can be traced throughout his career, particularly in his choice of models and certain aspects of construction, yet the character of his work remained fundamentally Italian in tradition, execution, and style. His early instruments often possess a particularly youthful and vigorous quality, with a freshness and energy that would gradually give way to the more settled and distinctive language of his mature work.

This striking viola is an excellent example from that formative period, already displaying many of the characteristics Pressenda would refine throughout his career. Its lustrous varnish, an orange-golden brown laid over a lighter ground, and the prominent scribe line running down the center of the scroll are both highly characteristic of his work.

Pressenda’s influence on violin making in Turin was profound and enduring, shaping the character of the school for generations. His most celebrated pupil was Giuseppe Rocca, while Annibale Fagnola, working later, became perhaps the most devoted interpreter of Pressenda’s style and aesthetic.
  • Proforma Certificate: Jason Price, New York, NY (Sep 16 2026)
  • Dendrochronology report: Sondre Lie, Oslo (Sep 10 2026) Dates the latest ring of the bass and treble side as 1815 and 1815, respectively.
  • Certificate: Wolf-Dieter Fischer, Munich (Feb 11 1981)
  • Letter certificate: Josef Blum, Stuttgart (Feb 6 1981)
  • Certificate: Josef Blum, Stuttgart (Feb 6 1981)
  • Certificate: Paul Voigt, London (Oct 8 1980)
  • Certificate: Max Möller & Son, Amsterdam (Apr 1 1958)

View Documents


Ending on Oct 1 at
2:46 PM Berlin / 1:46 PM London / 8:46 AM New York

Estimate: €70,000–100,000

Bidding opens Sep 22, 2026 11:00 AM CEST

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‡ - TI - antique - additional 19% import VAT charged on the hammer
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