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115:

A VIOLIN BY ANNIBALE FAGNOLA, TURIN, c. 1924

115: A VIOLIN BY ANNIBALE FAGNOLA, TURIN, c. 1924


Labeled, "Hannibal Fagnola fecit Taurini anno Domini 1924" and, "Joannes Franciscus Pressenda q. Raphael fecit Taurini anno Domini 1848."

Inscribed to the upper bass rib, "Annibale Fagnola Fecit Torino 1924." 

LOB: 35.5 cm

This fine and well-preserved violin was made by the highly collectible Turin maker Annibale Fagnola around 1924. It features a handsome one-piece maple back with broad, attractive flame and survives in excellent condition.

The violin displays many of the stylistic traits characteristic of Fagnola’s work and retains both its original printed label and the maker’s signature on the inside upper rib, each dated 1924. Dendrochronological analysis, however, dates the youngest visible growth ring of the top to 1923. This suggests that the violin may in fact have been made a year or two later than the date it bears, a practice that was not uncommon among violin makers of the period.

Like many of Fagnola’s instruments, it also bears a second label acknowledging Giovanni Francesco Pressenda, reflecting the profound influence of the great 19th-century Turin master on Fagnola’s style. Rather than serving as a copy in the strict sense, the instrument is best understood as a distinctly personal interpretation of the Pressenda tradition, filtered through Fagnola’s own bold and immediately recognizable aesthetic.
  • Proforma Certificate: Jason Price, New York, NY (Sep 16 2026)
  • Dendrochronology report: Peter Ratcliff, London (Sep 2 2026) Dates the latest ring of the bass and treble side as 1920 and 1923, respectively.

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Ending on Oct 1 at
4:27 PM Berlin / 3:27 PM London / 10:27 AM New York

Estimate: €95,000–140,000

Bidding opens Sep 22, 2026 11:00 AM CEST

★ WATCH ITEM

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