Giovanni Francesco Pressenda

History

Giovanni Francesco Pressenda (b. 1777 Lequio-Berria, Alba; d. 1854 Turin, Italy) was the son of Raffaele Pressenda, a strolling fiddler from Lequio-Berria, a hamlet in Piedmont. Giovanni accompanied his father, playing the violin with some skill, and early on manifested a desire to learn about violin manufacture. Learning of Cremona's association with good violins, he traveled there, where he obtained rudimentary knowledge from Storioni. According to a passage in "L'Italie économique" (1847), he collected the traditions of the Cremonese school regarding modeling and varnish preparation.

In 1814, Pressenda established himself as a violin maker in Alba, combining it with cabinet-making due to insufficient patronage. After a brief period in Carmagnola, he settled in Turin in 1820, where his abilities gained recognition. From at least 1832, he maintained a workshop at 30 via d’Angennes. In Turin, he won a copper medal for two violins in the 1829 exposition (shared with Alessandro D’Espine) and a similar award for a violin and cello in 1832. He subsequently earned silver medals in 1838, 1844, and 1850. A bust of Giovanni Francesco Pressenda by Reduzzi was erected in Turin in 1912.

Craft

• Innovation: Pressenda initiated a return to a disciplined and highly finished style, notably influenced by Stradivari. His accurate depiction of the Stradivari model was considered more advanced than that of other contemporary Italian makers and compared favorably with the work of Parisian makers Pique and Lupot. The preparation of his varnish was a chief merit of his violins and was often deemed superior to other Italian violins of his century. He particularly concentrated on refining the Stradivari model and arching.
  
  
• Materials: He selected wood with good judgment and utilized fine materials, often showing a predilection for one-piece backs. He attached great importance to the choice of wood, which he understood excellently. Purfling was typically of beech.
  
  
• Methods: His violins are generally made on the Stradivari pattern, with sound-holes that are well cut and proportions of thicknesses that are correct and well-arranged in his best instruments. Early work is reported to have been on the Amati model. His instruments are not much arched. While his scrolls have much character, they are sometimes roughly cut and generally marked with a strongly scribed center line. His varnish ranged from orange to an intense thin red-brown, sometimes exhibiting a tendency towards craquelure. Soundholes feature strongly worked fluting around the lower circle and wing. He made few violas and cellos.

Influence

• Training and Mentorship: Pressenda encountered Lorenzo Storioni, either in Cremona or Turin around 1790, while still in his teens, from whom he received rudimentary knowledge of violin making. He served as a teacher to P. Pacharel, G. Rocca, and G. B. Rinaldi, who became his first biographer. He may also have influenced N. Bianchi. Giuseppe Rocca was associated with Pressenda from the beginning of his Turin career, possibly having first met in Alba.
  
  
• Schools/Tradition: Pressenda is considered one of the finest makers of the post-classical Italian school. He is noted for initiating a return to a disciplined style strongly influenced by Stradivari, departing from the "dying manufacture" evident in many Italian instruments of his century. In Turin, he came under the influence of Alessandro D’Espine and Gaetano Guadagnini (II), both active makers in the city.
  
  
• Notable Associations: Giovanni Battista Polledro, the famous violinist and Musical Director of the Royal Orchestra at Turin (appointed 1824), strongly encouraged and patronized Pressenda's manufacture. His work was subsequently recognized and taken up by violinists Wilhelmj and Paganini, as well as the collector Luigi Tarisio.

Legacy

• Famous Owners: Although no specific instruments are named, Giovanni Francesco Pressenda's work was taken up and promoted by renowned violinists like Giovanni Battista Polledro, Wilhelmj, and Paganini, alongside the prominent collector Luigi Tarisio, indicating their high regard for his instruments.
  
  
• Modern Recognition: Highly successful and acclaimed during his lifetime, Giovanni Francesco Pressenda is regarded as one of the finest makers of the post-classical Italian school. His accurate portrayal of the Stradivari model was far more advanced than that of his contemporary Italian makers. His work, including his highly sought after fine musical instruments, continues to be highly valued today.

Further Information

• Historical Uncertainties: Details concerning Giovanni Francesco Pressenda's early training remain unclear. While it is known he encountered Lorenzo Storioni, whether this occurred in Cremona or Turin around 1790 is uncertain. Although active in Alba from 1814 and Carmagnola from 1817, it is presumed he was primarily a violin player rather than a maker during this period. Traditional information regarding Cremonese violin-making and varnishing from the mid-19th century is often described as unsatisfactory.
  
  
• Notable Quotes:
  • From "L'ltalie e"conomique" (1847), regarding Pressenda's youth in Cremona: "...where he collected the traditions of the school as regards modelling and the preparation of the varnish, which is the chief merit of his Violins."
    
    
  • An example of his label, as recorded by Rinaldi: "Joannes Franciscus Pressenda q. Raphael / fecit Taurini anno Domini 1828" [Giovanni Francesco Pressenda, son of Raffaele / made in Turin in the year of our Lord 1828]

Summary

Giovanni Francesco Pressenda (1777-1854) was a pivotal 19th-century Italian violin maker, celebrated for his exceptional craftsmanship and a significant figure in the history of string musical instruments. Born to a strolling fiddler in Piedmont, he developed an early interest in violin making, studying briefly with Lorenzo Storioni in Cremona. Despite early struggles that led him to combine violin making with cabinet-making, he established himself in Turin in 1820, where his abilities were quickly recognized. Pressenda's violins are predominantly based on the Stradivari model, distinguished by their superior varnish, well-arranged thicknesses, and expertly selected wood. His work marked a new departure in Italian violin making, demonstrating a sophisticated approach to the Stradivari model that surpassed his Italian contemporaries and drew comparisons to leading Parisian makers. Patronized by prominent violinists like Polledro, Wilhelmj, and Paganini, Pressenda's legacy endures through his highly acclaimed and influential instruments.