Amati > Makers Archive > Michele Deconet

Michele Deconet

Auction price history

Highest auction price

£78,000

Type	Details	Sold	Price
Viola	Illustrated in Masterpieces of Italian Violin Making (Rattray); Larger than life; The Strad 2005 Calendar	March 2024	£78,000
Violin	Labelled Andreas Guarnerius fecit Cremone, sub titulo S. Teresiae anno 16..., f-holes slightly recut	March 2024	£47,200
Violin	35.4 cm Venice, 1770 c. [Attributed to & probably by]	April 2010	£8,642
Violin	35.7 cm 18th C. [Ascribed to]	October 2009	£18,537
Violin	35.4 cm Italy, mid 18th C. (the table later) [Possibly by]	March 2009	£21,250
Violin	35.5 cm Venise, 1777	December 2008	£38,906
Violin	35.5 cm Venice, 1753	October 2008	£43,875
Violin	35.5 cm Venice, 1754	November 2007	£72,000
Viola	39.9 cm Venice, 1750 c. Dimensions slightly reduced in the treble bouts.	March 2007	£63,250
Violin	35.4 cm Venice, 1760 c.	February 2007	£57,600
Violin	36.1 cm Early 18th C. [Ascribed to]	October 2006	£12,937
Violin	34.9 cm Venice, 1750 c. [Probably by]	July 2006	£18,000
Violin	35.4 cm Venice, 1760 c. [Probably by]	February 2006	£50,400
Violin	1780 c.	May 2005	£31,200
Violin	Probably Venice, mid-19th C.	May 2005	£5,400
Violin	1759	October 2002	£56,841
Violin	1789	June 2001	£57,500
Violin	1764	May 2001	£45,192
Violin	1780	November 2000	£25,800
Violin	1780	November 1992	£24,200
Violin		March 1989	£12,100
Cello	1783	November 1988	£31,900
Violin	17--	November 1988	£35,200
Violin	1750-99	October 1982	£5,176

Biographies

John Dilworth Cecie Stainer Willibald Leo Lütgendorff

John Dilworth

DECONET, Michele Born 1713 Kehl, Strasbourg, France, died 1799 Venice Italy. A prolific and varied maker, recorded in historical documents as a violinist and singer (although unable to read music). It has been suggested that he lacked the qualifications for membership of the luthier’s guild in Venice and therefore cannot have practiced the craft legally. Nevertheless, a considerable body of work exists which is distinctive, consistent in stylistic development and technique, and which cannot be readily attributed to any other known maker. Began his working life as a soldier, stationed for two years in Paris. Leaving the army, he travelled to Venice in 1732, supporting himself as a musician. He subsequently made a number of excursions from Venice, either working as a musician or selling his instruments, and some published labels from the end of his life give Padua as the place of origin. He died in Venice, however. His work is a little coarse, but generally of an admirable flat model, although the arch always has a slightly pinched centre. Early work, dating from c.1745 has a more Amati-like arch, following both the narrow and ‘Grand’ Amati models, and bears a particularly fine and typically Venetian thick red varnish, given to clotting and crazing. This declined somewhat over the years, and many instruments have a paler less richly textured yellow or golden-brown coating. Specific technical features are shared with Peter Guarneri of Venice who may have been his informant in the craft. The scrolls have an interesting feature in that the throat is not sawn right across at the end of the pegbox mortice, instead being worked from either side with a knife. In many cases this idiosyncrasy has been ‘corrected’ by later restorations. In other respects, Deconet follows classical precepts of proportion and geometry perfectly admirably. Violas and cellos (on a recognisably Montagnana form) of compact size are known, but are relatively rare. Micael Deconet / fecit Venetiis, 1752. Michele deconet / fecit Venetiis. anno 1754. Michael Deconet / Fecit Venetiis, Anno 1759 (Manuscript) fatto da me / Michele Deconet 1764 Michael Deconer / fecit Venetiae 1786. Michele Deconet / Fecit, Venetijs Anno / 1764, Settembre