A Viola by Igino Sderci

From early childhood, Igino Sderci was keenly interested in music and art. He studied sculpture in Siena and demonstrated a talent for wood carving early on, and he made his first violin entirely without supervision. In 1917, he was introduced to Leandro Bisiach, who recognized his talent and, in need of an assistant, decided to take Sderci on as a pupil. However, Sderci did not join Bisiach in Milan. Instead, Leandro sent his brother Carlo to Siena to train Sderci, who excelled quickly due to his passion for violin making. He would go on to become one of the most important makers to emerge from the Bisiach Workshop, continuing for years to produce violins for Giacomo and Leandro Jr. in the white, a task he also undertook for Simone Sacconi.

Sderci moved to Florence in 1926 and went on to make over 700 instruments, always using exceptionally fine materials and varnish supplied primarily by the Bisiachs. He won gold medals for his work at the prestigious Stradivarius Exhibition in Cremona in both 1937 and 1949.