Leopoldo il Tedesco (Todesco)

History

Leopoldo il TEDESCO (TODESCO) (born 1625, died c.1660) was born in Germany, and his name, meaning 'the German', suggests his origin, as noted by John Dilworth.

He worked in Cremona as an apprentice of Nicolò Amati from 1652 to 1654, as recorded in the Cremona census returns, according to John Dilworth and Willibald Leo Lütgendorff. Cecie Stainer specifies his pupilage with Nicola Amati from 1653-54.

After his apprenticeship, he left Amati's workshops and established himself in Rome, where he was still active in 1658, according to Willibald Leo Lütgendorff. John Dilworth states he died around 1660 in Rome. He was one of the few foreign assistants of Amati to work independently.

Craft

• Model: He made good instruments inspired by Amati's model, working on Amati's pattern, though Karel Jalovec notes he fell short of his master's art. John Dilworth describes his work as basically of Amatisé form.
• Workmanship: Henri Poidras states that his workmanship is not of the first order. Willibald Leo Lütgendorff notes that he was not particularly clean in execution. John Dilworth describes his work as weak and poorly finished.
• Varnish: His varnish is compensatingly fine, according to Henri Poidras, and has praiseworthy properties, as stated by Willibald Leo Lütgendorff. Cecie Stainer. mentions he had good varnish, while John Dilworth describes it as a thin yellow-brown varnish.

Influence

• Mentorship: He was a pupil of Nicolo Amati in Cremona from 1652 to 1654, as confirmed by Karel Jalovec, John Dilworth, Willibald Leo Lütgendorff, and Cecie Stainer.
• Inspiration: He made instruments inspired by Amati's model and worked on Amati's pattern.

Legacy

• Notable Instruments: A violin by him was listed in Bruni's inventory (page 5), belonging to Marquis Chabert de Cogolin (died 1805), according to Willibald Leo Lütgendorff.

Further Information

• Name Origin: His name, 'il Tedesco' (the German), suggests his origin, as noted by John Dilworth. Willibald Leo Lütgendorff suggests that 'per rebere' in a misread label might have been his actual family name or a designation of his homeland, as 'il Tedesco' was only a byname.
• Label: A label reads: 'Leopoldo il Tedesco / alievo di Amatis Cremonae / fecit Romae 1659'. Willibald Leo Lütgendorff mentions a misread label in Bruni's inventory as 'Leopoldo per rebere tedesco alievo di Nicolas Amatis Cremone 1750', noting the incorrect year and spelling errors.

Summary

Leopoldo il TEDESCO (TODESCO) (born 1625, died c.1660) was a German luthier who apprenticed with Nicolò Amati in Cremona from 1652 to 1654. He subsequently established his own workshop in Rome, where he produced instruments inspired by Amati's model. While his workmanship was often considered less refined than his master's, his varnish was frequently praised for its quality.