A Violin by Giovanni & Carlo Tononi

History of the Instrument

While little is known about the origins of Giovanni Tononi, we do know that his father, Gaspare, was listed in the census as a 'scatolaro,' which translates to 'case maker' or 'crate maker.' Evidence suggests a link between the professions of 'scatolaro' and 'liutaro' (or 'violinaro'), as case makers sometimes also engaged in violinmaking. Giovanni's brothers, Carlo Tommaso and Pietro Andrea, are also recorded as ‘scatolari’. However, by 1688, Giovanni had established himself as a 'gitarraro,' a term used for makers of bowed or plucked instruments. By the end of the 17th century, there is substantial evidence of Giovanni's presence in Bologna as a violinmaker. His shop was managed with the help of his sons, Carlo Annibale and Felice. Some experts, including Stefano Scarampella, have reported seeing labels from an Antonio Tononi, leading us to speculate that the workshop may have also included Carlo and Felice’s eldest brother, Antonio Maria, although there is no other evidence to suggest that he was a violinmaker. When Giovanni died in the summer of 1713, he left his workshop to Carlo Annibale, assisted by Felice. Carlo Annibale assumed primary responsibility for the shop and continued to produce high-quality instruments, but significant changes were soon to follow as he relocated both himself and the business to Venice.

Up until 2024, this violin had been attributed to Girolamo Amati II, son of Nicolo Amati—an attribution that the violin's former owner, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, was proud to advertise. Mussolini was an accomplished violinist, and his career very nearly took that direction, but he instead chose a job as editor of a political newspaper. There exists an account from the period that Mussolini enlisted the assistance of a local luthier (of which there were certainly many qualified in Milan during the 1920s and 1930s, the time when he was known to have owned this violin). The luthier adjusted the violin and performed maintenance to the satisfaction of 'il Duce' and was paid well for the work. However, he apparently did not have the heart (perhaps the good sense) to tell the dictator that his violin, while exceptionally lovely, was not by Amati. This did not stop Emil Hermann from authenticating it as such in 1955 when it passed through his shop, and again in 1979 by Kenneth Warren in Chicago when it was acquired by the current owner.