Sanctus Seraphin (Udine 1699 – Venice 1776), also known as Santo Serafin, was a successful

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 ...

(violin maker), working in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. He closed his ''bottega'' (workshop) in 1741 but he continued to work in the bottega of Giorgio Serafin, his nephew, till his death in 1776. It is still unknown where he learned the art of violin making. His models were inspired to the Cremonese luthier Nicolò Amati. Seraphin's stringed instruments use a

varnish Varnish is a clear Transparency (optics), transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not to be confused with wood stain. It usually has a yellowish shade due to the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmente ...

that ranges in color from golden brown to an orange red. The varnish is usually transparent, lustrous and soft, but occasionally displays a hard, dry and crackled appearance. A Seraphin violin ranges in value from $20,000 to $850,000, depending on condition and provenance. The auction record Sanctus Seraphin was $779,531 in 2018, for a cello. Approximately 300 Seraphin instruments are known to exist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seraphin, Sanctus 1699 births 1776 deaths Italian luthiers Republic of Venice people