Dictionary of Makers

Pietro Antonio dalla Costa was born in Alba and his labels imply that he spent most of his working life in Treviso, near Venice. He is also believed to have been active in Venice and Mantua, though probably only for short periods. His work is rare, but the instruments that survive show him to have been an excellent craftsman. His principal influence was the work of the Brothers Amati, though his model is a little bolder and hisf holes larger.

 

The 1764 violin illustrated here recalls the 1665 Nicolo Amati on pp. 160-161, but the extended C-bouts and splayed upper corners reveal a Venetian influence. Inter- estingly, the December 1945 issue of The Strad illustrates a dalla Costa violin of the ~ame date that once belonged to Mozart.