Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi (c. 1714 – 1787) was an Italian master
luthier
A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments.
Etymology
The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...
who was active in the 18th century during the golden age of stringed instrument making.
Landolfi is considered among the half dozen finest stringed instrument makers in history, along with
Stradivarius
A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th ...
and Guarneri del Gesu and Pietro Guarneri. Instruments created centuries ago by Landolfi and his fellow Italian luthiers have not been improved upon despite modern technology and are still played by the finest violinists and violists in the great concert halls across the world.
Landolfi was born in
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, Italy in 1714 and after an apprenticeship in
Cremona
Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...
, Italy, he returned to Milan in 1734, age 20, and created his workshop. As his instrument labels indicate, he worked "Contrada Santa Margherita, al Segno della Sirena," in the central metropolis of Italy's
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
region, at the center of the city's busy mercantile and artistic activities.
Landolfi's career continued in Milan throughout his life.
Instruments
Landolfi may have been the last of the classical Italian master luthiers to use Cremonese methods of construction and of compounding varnishes.
For his finest instruments, Landolfi chose the woods with exceptional care and used superb varnishes of a particularly striking hue.
Landolfi's best instruments have similarities to the work of Guarneri del Gesu, but the Landolfis have unique characteristics reflecting constant refinement over the course of his career. For example, Landolfi developed an approach that increased the arching of the belly of each violin and viola with relation to the back. And his careful workmanship included scroll carving of a particularly graceful manner, often smaller and broader than the work of other master luthiers.
Importantly, Landolfi's most exceptional instruments possess a full tone of great carrying power. For that reason, over the centuries Landolfis have been prized by solo performers.
Musicians who have owned Landolfis include
Carl Flesch
Carl Flesch (born Károly Flesch, 9 October 1873 – 14 November 1944) was a Hungarian classical violinist and teacher. Flesch’s compendium ''Scale System'' is a staple of violin pedagogy.
Life and career
Flesch was born in Moson (now part of ...
, the Hungarian violinist and teacher (1873 - 1944) - who played both a Landolfi and the Brancaccio Stradivarius - and the French Jewish violist