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35-575: The Rugeri family is not to be confused with the Rogeri family of Brescia who were also noted luthiers following the tradition of Amati. He was perhaps the earliest apprentice of Nicolò Amati , another important luthier in Cremona , Italy , although other sources call this association into question as there is no census record showing his presence in the Amati household. The lack of census records showing

70-539: A form of provincialism, documents do indicate it was a way to distinguish the family from other Rugeri families of the region. For example, in the San Bernardo parish, to which the Rugeri family belonged, there were no fewer than five other Rugeri families listed, including 2 of Francesco's brothers. In order to limit confusion, Francesco’s brother Carlo Rugeri added the nickname “Per” to the family surname as early as

105-467: A number of fine cellos that again demonstrate the benefit of a Cremonese education."-- Four Centuries of Violin Making by Tim Ingles (as summarised on Cozio.com) This article about an Italian musician is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Vincenzo Rugeri Vincenzo Rugeri (30 September 1663 – 4 May 1719) (also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugieri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius),

140-413: A successful shop of his own in the center of Cremona. Vincenzo was the third son of luthier Francesco Rugeri . Vincenzo's work, like Francesco's, is influenced by Nicolò Amati 's Grand Pattern model, however Vincenzo's work was distinguished from his father's by utilizing a lower arch inspired by Antonio Stradivari . An analysis of the body of his work reveals that the quality of Vincenzo's instruments

175-614: Is apparent that he experienced a decline in circumstances by 1719. His production seems to have slowed after about 1710 probably owing to competition from the Stradivari workshop. Rugeri had two sons: Francesco (b Cremona 15 July 1704) and Carlo Giuseppe who were listed as violin makers by trade, however there are no known surviving instruments by either of them. Instruments bearing Vincenzo's name after his death in 1719 through about 1740 are possibly instruments made or finished by his sons but labelled with Vincenzo's name. Vincenzo Rugeri

210-602: Is known for its rich history in the design and production of string instruments. Indeed, the greatest luthiers of all time are Cremonese. Violin workshops in Cremona can trace their origins back to the beginning of the sixteenth century. As economic development began to take place at the turn of the century, so did the developments in artistic production and commerce within the city. It is around this time that violin makers like Andrea Amati , Antonio Stradivari, and Francesco Rugeri began their individual practices. The main reason for

245-421: Is now the standard. His cello is 4 inches (10 cm) smaller than cellos made by other Cremonese luthiers of the same period, namely, Amati and Stradivari. Cellos made by other luthiers of the period are often quite massive and fairly unmanageable for modern players' usage unless severely cut down in size. Francesco is the founder of the Rugeri family of violin makers. Francesco married Ippolito Ravasi in 1652 in

280-461: Is remarkable, perhaps even more so than his father's. Vincenzo's instruments, though less numerous, are valued at least equal to those of his father. A violin by Vincenzo Rugeri realized $ 502,320 on October 3, 2011 at Brompton's Auctions in London. Carlo Bergonzi was a distinguished apprentice of Vincenzo Rugeri. Vincenzo Rugeri was born just outside of the city limits of Cremona, Italy in

315-415: The "Thibaud" violin from 1715 and others from this early period follow similar outlines and proportions to Vincenzo Rugeri's violins as can be expected, however the outlines of Bergonzi's later instruments became his own. The labels contained in the instruments made by the Rugeri family include the words "detto il Per" following the makers's name. While the meaning of "il Per" is unknown and might indicate

350-414: The 1660s. The burial records of the death in 1680 of Francesco’s father, Vincenzo’s grandfather, also uses the name "Gio. Batta. Ruggeri detto il Per." Only one year later, Giovanni Battista, one of Vincenzo’s brothers, witnessed a marriage. On the certificate for his name, the priest only wrote Giovanni Battista Per. This signature indicates that by 1681, the family nickname "per" was even more important than

385-409: The Amati tradition of violin making; however, their work is distinctive from each other and not thought to be related. The Rugeri family included the words "il Per" or "detto il Per" in their labels. This nickname appears also in almost all of the religious and legal documents pertaining to the Rugeri family from 1669 onward and was probably meant to distinguish them from the many other Rugeri families in

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420-542: The Church of San Bernardo. They had a total of 10 children (six sons and 4 daughters) although some died young. Three of his six sons followed his footsteps in string instruments making. Interestingly, Francesco had two sons he named Giacinto—the first was born in 1658 and baptized Nov 19th 1658 with Nicolò Amati being the Godfather. Unfortunately, Giacinto only lived a few months following his baptism. The fact that Amati

455-613: The Cremonese school. This violin, like many of Vincenzo's instruments, is made of foreign maple, with an orange-brown transparent varnish with features flatter arches with fuller edges. The soundholes that the Rugeri family used distinguishes them from other Cremonese makers- they were often stiffer, or more narrow and the curves were more upright than the Amati. Towards the last years of the 17th century, Rugeri's shop flourished financially as evidenced by Vincenzo buying up property around his workshop. Upon examining his 1719 will however, it

490-567: The Nicolo Amati Grand Pattern model combined with a more tonally advanced lower arch. His work is characterized by a high standard of conception and workmanship and the maple wood he employed for the backs was often of fine foreign growth. Rugeri used a transparent varnish ranging in color from orange to red, or brown later in his career. This varnish recipe seems to be congruent with certain of Antonio Stradivari's late instruments and those of Carlo Bergonzi. The treatment of

525-470: The Parish of San Bernardo on 30 September 1663. By the age of apprenticeship, he was working alongside his two older brothers, Giovanni Battista Rugeri (2 July 1653 – 14 December 1711) and Giacinto Rugeri (15 May 1661 – 2 June 1697) assisting in their father's shop. Some instruments purported to be by Francesco Rugeri are actually the work of Vincenzo. All the brothers were capable workmen, ably assisting in

560-583: The Rugeri name may be explained by the possibility of Francesco not being an indoor apprentice, but one who lived and boarded at his own home while apprenticing. Antonio Stradivari 's name never appears in the census records of the Amati household even though he was also a possible pupil of Nicolò Amati and may have lived and boarded with his own family. W.E. Hill & Sons note that the "unmistakable" handiwork of Francesco Rugeri can be found, in certain of Nicolo Amati's works, and just like Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Guarneri, Francesco from time to time included

595-543: The Rugeri name. Like that of Francesco, Vincenzo included the words "detto il Per" in his labels. During the same time period that the Rugeri family was making violins in Cremona, the Rogeri family was also crafting string instruments in Brescia . These two luthier families with one letter of difference in their surname, living less than 40 miles apart, needed to have distinction from each other not only by quality and craftsmanship, but by name recognition. Cremona, Italy

630-537: The channel around the edges of his instruments shows less scooping than other makers of the period. Some of Rugeri's instruments include original "wings" of maple in the backs. His F-holes, while Amati-like, have narrower upright stems and an upright upper curve. A look at one of Vincenzo’s violin, the “Baron Knoop”, from circa 1700 shows that the Vincenzo based this instrument off of the Grand Amati model from

665-460: The designs of Nicolò Amati, sometimes even placing Amati labels in his instruments. His success peaked after Nicolò Amati's decline and before the rise of the workshop of Antonio Stradivari. Francesco's violins were characterized by a high level of craftsmanship and a very slightly higher arch. After 1670, Francesco was ably assisted by 3 of his sons in his workshop. The Rugeri tradition was carried on and developed by Francesco's son Vincenzo Rugeri ,

700-421: The family's violin shop based on the extremely rare instruments that are attributed to him. By 1690, Vincenzo Rugeri had married, left the family shop, and opened his own shop in the northwest side of Cremona. Rugeri prospered as an independent violin maker in his own right despite competition with the Stradivari and Guarneri families. His productions date from about 1680–1717. His confirmed works are based on

735-555: The hand of Stradivari in any of Nicolo Amati's work, although the unmistakable hands of Andrea Guarneri and Francesco Rugeri are evident. Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue and other early violin connoisseurs such as the Mantegazza brothers seemed to confuse the families of the Rugeri working in Cremona with the family of Giovanni Battista Rogeri working in Brescia. These two separate families of violin makers both followed

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770-444: The only one of his sons to later have an independent successful career as a luthier. Some instruments purported to be by Francesco are actually the work of Vincenzo. Instruments created by Rugeri are highly desirable owing to their high level of craftsmanship and tone. Francesco was buried in the Church of San Trinita. Francesco Rugeri was the first to make cellos smaller than what was usual in his time. The size of Rugeri's cellos

805-503: The region. Francesco lived and worked just outside of the walls of Cremona, Italy, in the Parishes of San Bernardo at No. 7 Contrada Coltellai; later, by 1687, he had moved to the Parish of San Sebastiano. In San Sebastiano he lived next to the convent of San Sigismondo, one of the finest buildings in Cremona. His most productive period was during the 1670s and 1680s, during which time he was assisted by his three sons and closely followed

840-499: The slightly elongated f-holes and C-bouts of his Brescian predecessors, and was able to combine the best elements of the Cremonese and Brescian schools. He reached his peak as a craftsman from about 1690 and his violins based on Amati's Grand Pattern are generally considered his best. By 1690 he was aided by his son Pietro Giacomo, who was a skilled assistant, and no doubt helped with the production of some lesser instruments, which often have unpurfled backs. The Rogeri workshop also produced

875-523: The social and financial connections between the two families. Carlo Bergonzi's mother was the Godmother to Vincenzo's daughter, Teresa. When comparing the work of Bergonzi with Vincenzo Rugeri, their similarity of work is apparent in the treatment of the scrolls, the use of beech purfling, the lack of dorsal thicknessing pins, and the working technique of scarfing the linings into the corner blocks at an angle instead of square. Bergonzi's early works such as

910-502: The words "Alumnus Nicolai Amati" on his labels, further adding to the evidence of his apprenticeship. For example, there exists a violin labelled "Francescus Rugerius Alumnus Nicolai Amati fecit Cremonæ 1663". Nicolò Amati was the godfather to one of Francesco's sons, Giacinto (born in 1658 and lived only a few months), indicating that the two families at least shared a close relationship and close collaboration would seem likely. Francesco later had another son whom he also named Giacinto, who

945-606: The workshop, however it was only Vincenzo who later enjoyed individual success as a luthier and further developed the Rugeri style. By 1687, Francesco had acquired land and a home closer to the city of Cremona in the Parish of San Sebastiano next to the beautiful Convent of San Sigismondo. Vincenzo likely followed the family to San Sebastiano and lived there until 1689 when he married. Even though Vincenzo's youngest brother, Carlo Rugeri (1666–1713) inherited Francesco's tools relating to "violins, guitars, violoni, and calascioni," Carlo does not appear to have been significantly involved with

980-422: Was a serious matter. However, this case may also indicate that Rugeri, who was working in the shadow of the great Cremona makers—Amati, Guarneri , and Stradivari —had resorted to a desperate act to make a sale. Some researchers believe there is a closer educational association between Antonio Stradivari and Francesco Rugeri than has previously been recognized. Despite the long-held belief that Antonio Stradivari

1015-421: Was an Italian luthier of string instruments such as violins , cellos , and, violas in Cremona , Italy. His instruments are noted for their craftsmanship and tone quality. Vincenzo came from a distinguished family of luthiers, the first of whom was his father, Francesco Rugeri . Despite the local tradition of artisan families laboring together through generations, Vincenzo left the family shop and set up

1050-481: Was born in 1661. A court case was brought in 1685 by a violinist seeking relief from the Duke of Modena as a victim of fraud. In this case, the violinist and composer Tomaso Antonio Vitali had bought a violin purporting to be a creation of Nicolò Amati , but he discovered that under the Amati label was the label of Francesco Rugeri. There was a price difference in those days of 3 to 1 on Amati vs. Rugeri violins, so this

1085-414: Was fundamental in the graduation of the thickness of the plates, and was obviously a technique passed on through generations of pupils of the Amati. This dorsal pin is also not found in any of the instruments of the Rugeri family, suggesting Antonio Stradivari may have actually learnt his craft from Francesco Rugeri, although both being influenced by Amati. W.E. Hill & Sons concede that they fail to find

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1120-503: Was his Godfather demonstrates that Rugeri and Amati at least shared a close relationship. Francesco's son, Vincenzo , became the most important luthier of Francesco's sons and carried on the Rugeri tradition after Francesco's death. Other luthiers in the family are: Giovanni Battista Rogeri Giovanni Battista Rogeri (ca. 1642 – ca. 1710) was an Italian luthier , who for much of his mature life worked in Brescia. Together with Gasparo da Salò and Giovanni Paolo Maggini , Rogeri

1155-585: Was one of the major makers of the Brescian school. The Rogeri family is not to be confused with the Rugeri family of Cremona, also an important family of violin makers. "Rogeri is believed to have been born in Bologna but moved to Cremona , where he was apprenticed to Nicolo Amati . By 1675 Rogeri had moved again, this time to Brescia . He fused the neatness of construction that he had learned from Amati with

1190-447: Was the first teacher of Carlo Bergonzi . Previously, Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari had been erroneously postulated as being Bergonzi's first teachers by W.E. Hill & Sons and Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue . Carlo Bergonzi and his family lived in close proximity to Vincenzo's workshop in Cremona, which would have been the most obvious place for apprenticeship for Carlo in about 1696, given

1225-485: Was the pupil of Nicolò Amati , there are important discrepancies between their work. Some researchers believe early instruments by Stradivari bear a stronger resemblance to Francesco Rugeri's work than Amati's. Additionally, the use of a small dorsal pin or small hole, invariably used not just by Nicolò Amati but all of his recognized pupils—with the exception of Antonio Stradivari—adds further evidence that Stradivari may have learnt his craft apart from Amati. This pin or hole

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