A Violin by Alfredo Contino, Naples, 1920
The violin shown on this page is representative of the high quality Alfredo Contino’s output from the period just after 1916, when his mentor, Vincenzo Postiglione, died and Contino succeeded him as head of the Postiglione workshop. Contino who produced many of his best instruments during this time, the early years of his career.
This example is designed on a Gagliano model, much like Postiglione’s Gagliano model. The materials are of high quality and the varnish is particularly successful, features that become less reliable later in Contino’s working period. As is usual for Contino, the model and arching of this violin is favorable for tone and it functions very well as a musical instrument. The violin retains its original label and is no worse for the 100 years of life it has seen so far.
Read More About Alfred Contino
Alfredo Contino (1890-c.1963) was a minor master of violin making, but a master nonetheless. He was a member of the last generation of makers in a centuries-old Neapolitan tradition.