Bartolomeo Tassini

Bartolomeo Tassini was an Italian violin maker active in the Veneto, probably Venice, during the middle of the 18th century, with surviving dated instruments from approximately the 1740s to the late 1750s. Little is known of his life, and his place within the Venetian school remains somewhat obscure. Earlier writers have variously connected his work with Carlo Antonio Testore, while surviving instruments ...Read More also show the influence of Stainer and, in some cases, broader Stradivarian models.

Tassini’s workmanship is highly individual and can be somewhat rustic, but he generally used materials of excellent quality. His violins often have broad outlines, upright and relatively widely spaced soundholes, and distinctive scrolls with tapering pegboxes, narrow open throats and prominent eyes to the volutes. Purfling can be unusual, with maple sometimes combined with dark outer strips. Backs are frequently of attractive maple and may be made in a single piece.

His varnish varies considerably, from pale golden-yellow to orange-brown and darker brown. A violin dated 1754, for example, has a two-piece back of narrow-flamed maple and orange-brown varnish, while another example from around 1750 has a one-piece back and golden-yellow varnish.

Both violins and cellos by Tassini survive, and his cellos can be particularly impressive. Although his work lacks the refinement of the greatest Venetian makers, its strong personality, fine materials and distinctive construction give Tassini an identifiable place within the diverse tradition of 18th-century Venetian violin making. Read Less

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