Luigi Soffritti
Ferrara, c.1870

Recent research has revealed that Luigi Soffritti was born in the small village of Casumaro near Ferrara in 1841, but little more is known about his biography. He was likely a self-taught maker working in Ferrara, and we have seen but few of his instruments. He no doubt taught his son, Ettore, who went on to become the most important maker in this region in the 20th century.

We feel very lucky to have recently discovered this important cello, which bears an original manuscript label indicating it to be an “imitazione di Nicola Amati.” As such, the cello is of large and broad proportions. It is crafted in a rustic and charming 19th-century Italian style and produces very deep and resonant tonality.