Violin by

Carlo Ravizza
Milan, 1927
for Antonio Monzino

Like many of the best violinmakers in 20th-century Italy, Carlo Ravizza (b. 1882 – d. 1959) trained with the Antoniazzi family in Milan. The Antoniazzis (Gaetano and his sons Riccardo and Romeo) carried the tradition of violinmaking with them when they moved from Cremona to Milan in the late 1800s. There, they taught violinmaking to Leandro Bisiach, who in turn employed the family as luthiers in what would become the most important Italian workshop of the day.

In the early 1900s, Riccardo and Romeo Antoniazzi also began to work with the Monzino brothers, successful Milanese instrument merchants and exporters. It was likely during this period that Carlo Ravizza learned the trade from Romeo Antoniazzi. Ravizza followed the teachings of the Antoniazzis closely. Although his work is comparatively rare, his style is consistent: the C-bouts elongated in the Antoniazzi manner, the edge work is strong, and the sound holes are slanted steeply inward from bottom to top.

This violin is one made by Ravizza specifically for the Monzino firm. It features a lush, dark sound that still offers precise articulation and clarity, along with all of the hallmarks typical of Ravizza’s craftsmanship.

Violin by

Carlo Ravizza
Milan, 1927
for Antonio Monzino

Like many of the best violinmakers in 20th-century Italy, Carlo Ravizza (b. 1882 – d. 1959) trained with the Antoniazzi family in Milan. The Antoniazzis (Gaetano and his sons Riccardo and Romeo) carried the tradition of violinmaking with them when they moved from Cremona to Milan in the late 1800s. There, they taught violinmaking to Leandro Bisiach, who in turn employed the family as luthiers in what would become the most important Italian workshop of the day.

In the early 1900s, Riccardo and Romeo Antoniazzi also began to work with the Monzino brothers, successful Milanese instrument merchants and exporters. It was likely during this period that Carlo Ravizza learned the trade from Romeo Antoniazzi. Ravizza followed the teachings of the Antoniazzis closely. Although his work is comparatively rare, his style is consistent: the C-bouts elongated in the Antoniazzi manner, the edge work is strong, and the sound holes are slanted steeply inward from bottom to top.

This violin is one made by Ravizza specifically for the Monzino firm. It features a lush, dark sound that still offers precise articulation and clarity, along with all of the hallmarks typical of Ravizza’s craftsmanship.