Carlo Antonio Testore
Auction price history
Highest auction price
£172,860
Type | Details | Sold | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Violin | Labelled Carlo Antonio Testore figlio Maggiore del fu Carlo Giuseppe in Contrada larga al segno ... | Wed 1st May 2024 | £51,830 |
Violin | Labelled Carlo Giuseppe Testore in Contrada ..., with the collaboration of his brother Paolo Antonio | Fri 1st March 2024 | £78,000 |
Cello | Labelled Carlo Giuseppe Testore in Contrada Larga di Milano al Segno dell'Aquila 1721 | Fri 1st March 2024 | £144,000 |
Violin | Labelled Carlo Antonio Testore figlio, del qu. ..., back of the head fluted and purfling to back added later | Thu 1st February 2024 | £81,960 |
Violin | 35.4 cm Milan, 1740 c. | Tue 1st November 2011 | £31,952 |
Violin | 35.7 cm [Ascribed to] | Sat 1st October 2011 | £10,000 |
Cello | 76.6 cm [Attributed to] | Wed 1st June 2011 | £24,000 |
Viola | 42.0 cm Milan, 1752 | Sun 1st May 2011 | £172,860 |
Violin | 36.2 cm 1780 c. [Probably by] | Wed 1st December 2010 | £7,200 |
Violin | 35.8 cm Milan, 1750 c. [Attributed to] | Mon 1st March 2010 | £32,400 |
Violin | 35.7 cm 18th C. [Ascribed to] | Fri 1st May 2009 | £8,540 |
Cello | 73 cm Milan, mid-18th C. | Sun 1st March 2009 | £43,250 |
Violin | 35.0 cm Milan, mid-18th C. | Sun 1st March 2009 | £25,000 |
Violin | 35.7 cm Milan, 1720 | Sat 1st November 2008 | £37,050 |
Violin | 35.9 cm Milan, 1735 c. | Wed 1st October 2008 | £49,250 |
Cello | 63.6 cm Milan, 1740 1/2 Size | Sat 1st March 2008 | £14,040 |
Violin | 35.7 cm Milan, 1730 c. | Sat 1st March 2008 | £52,650 |
Violin | 35.4 cm Milan, 1763 c. | Mon 1st October 2007 | £62,439 |
Violin | 35.7 cm Milan, 1741 c. | Sun 1st April 2007 | £36,389 |
Violin | 35.3 cm Milan, 1750 c. [Probably by] | Sun 1st April 2007 | £5,155 |
Violin | 35.7 cm [Attributed to] | Thu 1st February 2007 | £3,242 |
Viola | 39.4 cm Milan, 18th C. [Attributed to] | Wed 1st November 2006 | £14,400 |
Violin | 35.6 cm first half of 18thC [Attributed to] | Wed 1st November 2006 | £10,851 |
Violin | 35.4 cm Milan, 1750 c. | Mon 1st May 2006 | £24,527 |
Cello | Milano, 1691 | Tue 1st November 2005 | £15,790 |
Violin | Milan, 1745 c. [Possibly made with son] | Tue 1st November 2005 | £36,122 |
Violin | [Ascribed to] | Fri 1st April 2005 | £6,266 |
Violin | Fri 1st October 2004 | £27,225 | |
Violin | 1740 c. | Sat 1st May 2004 | £16,577 |
Violin | [Attributed to] | Sat 1st May 2004 | £5,975 |
Violin | Milan, 1730 | Sat 1st May 2004 | £48,113 |
Violin | 1750 c. | Sat 1st November 2003 | £45,600 |
Violin | 1740 c. | Wed 1st October 2003 | £23,748 |
Violin | 1750 c. | Tue 1st July 2003 | £27,600 |
Violin | 1738 | Tue 1st July 2003 | £34,250 |
Violin | 1753 | Tue 1st October 2002 | £58,050 |
Violin | 1755 | Sat 1st June 2002 | £50,190 |
Violin | 1733 | Fri 1st March 2002 | £23,500 |
Violin | 1721 | Mon 1st May 2000 | £51,623 |
Violin | 1735 | Mon 1st November 1999 | £32,200 |
Violin | 1750 | Mon 1st March 1999 | £19,550 |
Violin | 1770 | Mon 1st March 1999 | £35,000 |
Violin | 1750 c. | Sun 1st November 1998 | £18,400 |
Violin | 1742 | Fri 1st November 1996 | £31,050 |
Violin | 1768 | Fri 1st March 1996 | £33,350 |
Violin | 1751 | Wed 1st November 1995 | £42,550 |
Violin | 1750 c. | Sun 1st October 1995 | £29,900 |
Violin | 1728 | Tue 1st November 1994 | £18,975 |
Violin | 1760 c. | Mon 1st November 1993 | £12,635 |
Violin | 1743 | Thu 1st April 1993 | £16,100 |
Cello | 1766 | Mon 1st June 1987 | £35,200 |
Cello | 1723 | Mon 1st July 1985 | £29,700 |
Maker Overview
History
Carlo Antonio Testore (c. 1688 – after 1764) was a Milan-based violin maker who carried forward his family's craft into the mid-18th century. The eldest son of Carlo Giuseppe Testore, he trained under his father before establishing his own reputation during an active period from approximately 1735-1765. Working from the family's traditional location in Milan's Contrada Larga at the sign of the Eagle, Carlo Antonio eventually brought his son Giovanni into the business, creating a three-generation dynasty of instrument makers.
The Testore family's prominence in Milan violin making spanned roughly eight decades (c. 1680-1760), as documented in Willibald Leo Lütgendorff's Documentary Dictionary of Violin Makers. Workshop labels from Carlo Antonio's instruments, including examples from 1736, 1741, and 1764, preserve not only the family lineage but also their consistent presence at the Contrada Larga address, providing valuable historical documentation of this important violin-making tradition.
Craft
- Innovation: His own model is large and heavy of aspect. His works differ from those of his father, Carlo Giuseppe Testore, by their larger pattern and higher arching.
- Materials: He used excellent wood, though not always finely figured, and consistently employed very good wood in his instruments.
- Methods: Carlo Antonio Testore made his violins on the Guarneri pattern, and also copied models by Nic. Amati, Guarneri del Gesu, and occasionally Stradivari. His instruments are described as bold and well made, with good workmanship. He applied varnish that was either golden-yellow or a rather thick brown colour.
Influence
- Training and Mentorship: He was the son and pupil of Carlo Giuseppe Testore.
- Schools/Tradition: He worked on the models of prominent makers such as Nic. Amati, Guarneri del Gesu, and occasionally Stradivari.
- Notable Associations: Carlo Antonio Testore was associated with his son Giovanni, as indicated by a label from 1764.
Legacy
- Modern Recognition: His instruments are considered excellent and valued for their craftsmanship and tonal qualities.
Further Information
- Technical Characteristics: The varnish on his instruments is golden-yellow in colour, or sometimes a rather thick brown. His own models are large and heavy of aspect, and the sound holes, designed after the Guarneri manner, are very open. An eagle is branded on his string musical instruments, in addition to the label. His works are distinctive from his father's due to their larger pattern and higher arching.
Summary
Carlo Antonio Testore, born around 1688 and active until after 1764, was a prominent Milanese violin maker and the eldest son and pupil of Carlo Giuseppe Testore. He established his workshop in Milan's Contrada Larga, identified by the sign of the Eagle. Known for crafting instruments of high quality, he often adopted the patterns of Guarneri and Amati, and occasionally Stradivari. His instruments, including violoncellos and altos, are characterized by excellent wood, good workmanship, a powerful tone, and distinctive golden-yellow or thick brown varnish. His unique models are noted for their larger pattern and higher arching compared to his father's works, and open sound holes in the Guarneri style. He also associated with his son Giovanni in his later years.
Biographies
John Dilworth
TESTORE, Carlo Antonio Born circa. 1693, d.c.1765 Milan Italy. Son, pupil, and successor of Carlo Giuseppe Testore, below, at the sign ‘dell’Aquila’ in Contrada Larga. More prolific maker than his father, but generally a less conscientious craftsman. Assisted in later years by his own son Giovanni. Instruments often lacking purfling, with the lines scratched into the edges of the plates, and the back of the pegbox left flat. Where purfling is used it is generally of beech wood. Soundholes usually of Stradivari or Amatisé form, but poorly cut and with small unfluted wings and finial circles. Scrolls have a pronounced ovality to the outline along the plane of the fingerboard. Golden-yellow to plain brown varnish and often very plain materials. Branded internally and with double-eagle mark: ‘C.A.T.’ Carlo Antonio Testore figlio maggiore / del fu Carlo Giuseppe in Contrada lar- / ga al segno dell’ Aquila, Milano 1741 Carlo Antonio e Giovanni padre e figlio / Testori, il qual Carlo e figlio maggiore / del fu Carlo Giuseppe Testore, abitanti / in Contrada larga al segno dell’ Aquila / Milano, 1764
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