Omobono Felice Stradivari

STRADIVARI, Omobono Felice Born 1679, died 1742 Cremona Italy. Son of Antonio Stradivari, above. His contribution to the family workshop seems to have been rather less than that of his older brother Francesco, whom he predeceased. Antonio’s will draws attention to Ombono’s extended absence in Naples (probably in 1698). He incurred a financial debt to his father during this journey and the full extent of his legacy from his father was merely to absolve this debt almost forty years after it was incurred. Authenticated instruments are rare, but include the ‘Blagrove’ of c.1700 which bears a ‘sotto la disciplina di Antonio’ label. The outline is relatively poorly managed and the soundholes are spindly and slightly weak compared with the characteristic Stradivari model. Of the work produced after his father’s death it may be said that the purfling is relatively uneven and awkwardly managed in the corners. The soundholes are inconsistent but tend to be widely set and are almost del Gesù-like in the extension of the wings both upward and downward. The scroll is also unevenly balanced. The varnish is of a paler golden-brown than the best ‘golden period’ and somewhat plain locally sourced ‘oppio’ maple is extensively used. Sotto la disciplina di Antonio / Stradivario fecit Cremona Omobono Stradiuarius Filius Antonij / Cremone Fecit 1740: oTs [Rosengard & Chiesa]

Son of Antonio; b. Nov. 14, 1679; d. July 8, 1742. He worked with his brother Francesco in his father’s workshop; the label they used was inscribed ” sotto la disciplina d’ A. Stradivarius, Cremona.” But he made few new instruments, and chiefly occupied himself in repairing old ones. Label: ” Omobonus Stradiuarius filius Antonii Cremonae fecit, anno 1740.”

Brother of Francesco. Lancetti remarks, ” Omobono chiefly restored instruments and arranged and regulated them. Francesco, it will be seen, survived his brother about thirteen months, with whom, as with Girolamo Amati, the son of Niccolo, we reach the end of the family’s long and historical career of Violinmaking. Upon the death of Francesco, the shop in the Piazza San Domenico (now named Piazza. Roma) was closed, after having been occupied by the family of Stradivari as Violin-makers for upwards of sixty-three years, and from whence was sent into cathedral, church, and royal orchestras, the largest number of Violins and kindred instruments ever made by one maker—whose works bore the indelible stamp of genius—instruments which have gladdened the sight and hearing of untold thousands. The famous shop, as previously noticed, was next opened by Paolo Stradivari, who was a cloth merchant or warehouseman. Paolo died in 1776, a year after the date of the correspondence which passed between him and Count Cozio di Salabue. Antonio, son of Paolo, born in 1738 and married in 1762, had a son Giacomo, born in 1769 and married in 1797. Cesare, the son of Giacomo, became a physician in Cremona, married in 1838, and left the present representative of the Cremonese branch of the family, Dr. Libero Stradivari, a barrister-at-law, who is an excellent amateur performer on the flute.

Jüngster Sohn erster Ehe von Antonio Str., unter dessen Leitung er auch, nachdem er ausgelernt hatte, arbeitete. Nach dem Tode des Vaters theilte er die Werkstatt mit seinem Bruder Francesco. Er erbte nur wenig von der Kunst seines Vaters, und mit ihm verschwindet der Name Stradivari aus der Geschichte des Geigenmachens, da sich seitdem kein Nachkomme des Meisters mehr der Kunst des grossen Ahnherrn zugewendet hat. Omobono gebrauchte zierlich geschriebene Zettel, die aber erst nach Antonio’s Tod nachzuweisen sind.

Second son of Stradivarius. Same work as that of his brother Francesco with whom he was in partnership. An important detail and contrary to his father’s models is that the mitre of the purfling is directed away from the CC. Manuscript labels. With Stradivari’s two sons commences the downfall of the great master’s art, since then unsurpassed. The greater part of the lives of the sons having been spent as workmen with the master, may explain their lack of personality. Established on their own account rather late in life (Francesco was 67 at the death of his father, Omobono 61 and Bergonzi himself about 50 years old), these makers, although endowed with great artistic gifts, had no opportunity of giving full sway to their aspirations, Bergonzi, about 15 years their junior, was more fortunate, but if one may say so, it seems that he could have done even better.

Cremona. Born at Cremona Nov. 14, 1679, died at the same place on June 8, 1742. The Hill Brothers stated in their great work that they had never seen a violin by Omobono Stradivari, inferring that Omobono had not been a violin maker at all. We are inclined to share this view, because neither correspondence nor bequests mention any instruments by Omobono. They constitute most reliable documents, for some of them come from the time when the sons of Stradivari were still alive. Paolo, the most agile businessman, though not the most prudent member, of the family, did not mention anywhere instruments by Omobono, although he wrote about sales of violins and bows of his deceased father and brother Francesco. It is improbable that there should not have been left a single instrument by Omobono, although he died a year earlier than his brother Francesco; or is it to be supposed that Francesco provided them with his own name? It is generally stated that he was Antonio’s son and pupil. The brothers Francesco and Omobono are alleged to have assisted their father and, after the latter’s death, to have continued working together. Omobono is said to have built instruments far inferior to those created by the former two and to have devoted more of his time to repairing work than to the making of new instruments. The arching of his instruments (which Hill considers as fakes, although they are marked with Omobono’s name) is imperfect, the sound-holes are of no particular beauty, the rather deep cut scrolls, however, are well done. The instruments are coated with a golden-yellow varnish of a quality inferior to that applied by his father and brother. As for the tone, these violins also do not meet demands associated with the name. The price of 120.000-150.000 Kc is, therefore, certainly exaggerated.