Carlo Antonio Testore

Violin maker
(1693 – c. 1765)

Carlo Antonio Testore was the son, pupil, and successor of Carlo Giuseppe Testore, at the sign `dell'Aquila' in Contrada Larga. He was a more prolific maker than his father, though generally a less conscientious craftsman. In later years, he received assistance from his own son Giovanni. His instruments often lacked purfling, ...Read More with lines scratched into the edges of the plates, and the back of the pegbox was left flat. When purfling was used, it was typically made of beech wood. Soundholes were usually of Stradivari or Amatise form, but were poorly cut and featured small unfluted wings and finial circles. The scrolls had a pronounced ovality to the outline along the plane of the fingerboard. The varnish ranged from golden-yellow to plain brown, and materials were often very plain. He branded his work internally with a double-eagle mark: `C. A. T. ' Carlo Antonio Testore figlio maggiore / delft' Carlo Giuseppe in Contrada lar- / ga al segno dell'Aquila, Milano 1741 Carlo Antonio e Giovanni padre e figlio / Testori, it qual Carlo e figlio maggiore / del fu Carlo Giuseppe Testore, abitanti / in Contrada larga al segno dell'Aquila / Milano, 1764. Read Less

Price History

- The auction record for this maker is $284,800 in May 2011, for a viola.
- 150 auction price results.

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