Catarina Guarneri (c. 1699c. 1748), also known as Katarina Rota prior to marriage, was the wife of

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 ...

Giuseppe Guarneri Bartolomeo Giuseppe "del Gesù" Guarneri (, , ; 21 August 1698 – 17 October 1744) was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri family of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his i ...

, and a suspected luthier in her own right. Accounts handed down from Carlo Bergonzi II, the grandson of Giuseppe Guarneri, provide evidence that Catarina Guarneri assisted her husband in his work.

Early life and marriage

Catarina Guarneri was born Katarina Rota in Vienna, but her name is recorded as Catarina on several documents. It is suspected Rota moved to

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 ...

with the Imperial Austrian army around 1707 onward. In 1722, Rota was married to Giuseppe Guarneri, the grandson of

Andrea Guarneri Andrea Guarneri (1626, in Casalbuttano; 1698, in Cremona) was an Italian luthier, musician and founder of the Casa Guarneri. He is the most important student of Nicola Amati and grandfather of one of the best luthiers, Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guar ...

and from a long line of violin makers. Katarina Rota became Catarina Guarneri, moving into a house in the centre of Cremona with her husband, who lived with his family until marriage.

Violin making

There is evidence which shows that Catarina Guarneri assisted her husband in his shop, with violin connoisseur Giovanni de Piccolellis mentioning a "Caterina Guarneri" who supposedly assisted the Guarneri's. de Piccolellis also stated that Catarina Guarneri was known for the manuscript labels found inside her violins, and there are many records of instruments containing tickets or labels with her name on them. Horace Petherick, a violin connoisseur, wrote in one of his books about a

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

he inspected in London. He said the viola had a ticket inside with the inscription "Katarina Guarneria fecit Cremone anno 1749". A dealer present also said he had come across two violins with similar tickets. A violin maker from Prague, B. Lanter, is also said to have owned a viola bearing the label "Cat. Guarneri's". Additional suspected labels include a violin in Budapest with a label reading "Katharina Guarneri fecit Cremone anno 1730". It is not confirmed whether any of these labels are authentic, but their existence is notable.

After Giuseppe's death

Unusual stylistic differences in Giuseppe Guarneri's work were noted towards the end of his life. These are usually attributed to sons or apprentices, however Giuseppe Guarneri had neither. After Giuseppe's death in 1744, many speculate that Catarina Guarneri finished making some partly-finished violins to bring in some income. This theory is supported by the 1745 label of the Leduc violin, which posthumously credits Giuseppe. Catarina remained in Cremona until 1748, when she remarried and became Katarina Horak.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guarneri, Catarina Women instrument makers Women in music 1690s births 1740s deaths 18th-century people from the Holy Roman Empire