Silverio Ortega

Silverio Ortega (1765–1846) was an important Spanish violin maker active in Madrid during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Born in Orusco, near Madrid, he trained in the workshop of his uncle, Vicente Assensio, one of the leading Spanish makers of the period. Ortega worked for the Spanish royal household and Royal ...Read More Chapel from the 1780s and succeeded Assensio as instrument maker to the court in 1792.

Ortega’s instruments are distinctive and accomplished, generally built on personal models with relatively flat arching and showing the influence of the Italian tradition, particularly Stradivari. His violins often feature slightly inward-sloping soundholes, carefully cut heads and a fine, thin golden-orange varnish. Surviving instruments include violins and cellos, as well as guitars and other plucked instruments, reflecting the broader responsibilities of a Spanish violero of the period.

He is also remembered for his work on instruments in the Spanish royal collection, most famously his involvement in reducing the dimensions of Stradivari’s 1696 “Spanish” bass. Ortega remained connected with the Royal Chapel until his death in Madrid in 1846. His son, Mariano Ortega, continued the family workshop and the Madrid violin-making tradition into the following generation. Read Less

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