Dictionary of Makers

Litttle more is known about Dom Nicolo Amati than that which can be gleaned from his labels. He is be- lieved to have been a priest as well as a violin maker, and his real surname was Melchioni or Marchioni. The substi- tution of Amati probably dates from the 19th century, and there is no link between the Bolognese priest and the great Cremonese violin-making family.

Indeed, Dom Nicola's instruments have an entirely differ- ent inspiration, and show the influence of the Venetian

 

school of the early 18th century. They have often been mis- taken for more prestigious violins from that city, as the labels in the two violins illustrated here testify. Although Dom Nicola's varnish was, at its best, comparable to a good Venetian varnish, his idiosyncrasies as a maker (the placement of the fholes and locating pins, for example) betray a more individual style that places him outside the mainstream.