Born: 1644
Birthplace: Cremona, Italy
Died: 18-Dec-1737
Location of death: Cremona, Italy
Cause of death: unspecified

Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Occupation: Artist

Nationality: Italy
Executive summary: Violin maker

Italian violin-maker, associated throughout his life with Cremona, where he brought the craft of violin making to its highest pitch of perfection. He was still a pupil of Nicolas Amati in 1666, when he had already begun to insert his own label on violins of his making, which at first follow the smaller Amati model, solidly constructed, with a thick yellow varnish. It was not until 1684 that he began to produce a larger model, using a deeper colored varnish, and beautifying the instruments in various details, his "long" patterns (from 1690) representing a complete innovation in its proportions; while from 1700, after for a few years returning to an earlier style, he again broadened and otherwise improved his model. He also made some beautiful violoncellos and violas. The most famous instruments by him are: Violins: the "Hellier" (1679), the "Sellière" (before 1680), the "Tuscan" (1690), the "Betts" (1704), the "Ernst" (1709), "La Pucelle" (1709), the "Viotti" (1709), the "Vieuxtemps" (1710), the "Parke" (1711), the "Boissier" (1713), the "Dolphin" (1714), the "Gillot" (1715), the "Alard", finest of all (1715), the "Cessot" (1716), the "Messiah" (1716), the "Sasserno" (1717), the "Maurin" (1718), the "Lauterbach" (1719), the "Blunt" (1721), the "Sarasate" (1724), the "Rode" (1722), the "Deurbroucq" (1727), the "Kiesewetter" (1731), the "Habeneck" (1736), the "Muntz" (1736). Violas: the "Tuscan" (1690), two of 1696 formerly belonging to the king of Spain, the "Archinto" (1696), the "Macdonald" (1701), and the "Paganini" (1731). Violoncellos: the "Archinto" (1689), the "Tuscan" (1690), the "Aylesford" (1696), the "Cristiani" (1700), the "Servais" (1701), the "Gore-Booth" (1710), the "Duport" (1711), the "Adam" (1713), the "Batta" (1714), the "Piatti", finest of all (1720), the "Bandiot" (1725), the "Gallay" (1725). Antonio Stradivari's sons Francesco (1671-1743) and Omobono (1679-1742) were also violin makers, who assisted their father, together with Carlo Bergonzi, who appears to have succeeded to the possession of Antonio's stock-in-trade. The Stradivari method of violin making created a standard for subsequent times; but what is regarded as Antonio's special advantage, now irrecoverable, was his varnish, soft in texture, shading from orange to red, the composition of which has been much debated.

Father: Alessandro Stradivari
Mother: Anna Moroni

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