Giacomo Rivolta

Violin maker
(1770 – 1844)

Giacomo Rivolta (1770–1844) was one of the most distinctive Milanese violin makers of the early 19th century and an important figure in the revival of Stradivarian models in northern Italy. Born in Novara, he moved to Milan around 1790 and initially worked principally as a maker of guitars and lyres before increasingly devoting himself to bowed instruments. He established his workshop at the sign ...Read More of the Santo Re Davide in the Contrada Santa Margherita, close to the workshops of the Mantegazza family.

A decisive influence on Rivolta’s career was his relationship with Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue. Through Cozio, Rivolta had access to forms, patterns and other material originating from Antonio Stradivari’s workshop, allowing him to study Cremonese construction at unusually close hand. Cozio also provided Stradivari instruments for him to copy. Rivolta consequently became one of the first Italian makers of his generation to make a deliberate attempt to revive Stradivari’s models rather than merely working within an inherited regional tradition.

His work nevertheless remained strongly personal and retained features of the Milanese school, particularly the influence of the Mantegazza family, Landolfi and, to some extent, the Gagliano tradition. His instruments generally have low, rounded arching, strongly worked channels around the edges and relatively small, neatly cut soundholes. The scrolls can be substantial and rather shallowly carved, while his varnish is typically a transparent golden or golden-brown laid over a darker ground.

Rivolta is particularly admired for his violas and cellos, which form the most important part of his surviving output. His cellos often show a clear debt to Stradivari’s B-form, while his large violas are among the most characteristic Italian examples of their period. His achievement received contemporary recognition through medals awarded for instruments made after Stradivari models, and some of his labels proudly record that he had been awarded both silver and gold medals for having helped revive the school of Stradivari.

Although his production was relatively limited, Rivolta occupies an unusually important position in the history of 19th-century Italian violin making. At a time when many of the older regional traditions were declining, his contact with Cozio and direct engagement with Stradivari’s surviving workshop material anticipated the conscious revival of classical Cremonese models that would become increasingly important later in the century. Read Less

Price History

- The auction record for this maker is $129,818 in Oct 2010, for a viola.
- 18 auction price results.

View all auction prices for Giacomo Rivolta

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