Upon his death, Niccolò Pagannini—arguably the world’s most celebrated and virtuosic violinist—gifted his 1743 instrument made by Giuseppe Bartolomeo Guarneri to the city of Genoa. It’s on display in a government museum with other artifacts from his life. The wax on the back of the scroll is the seal of ownership of Genoa, a common practice at the time. I was fortunate to meet one of two caretakers of the instrument at his shop. He has studied the instrument as much as (if not more) than anyone and makes replicas, seen here with my 5-string fiddle whose pattern was taken from Pagannini’s instrument. And I received a gift of old antique mutes to add to my collection!
