Giuseppe Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ – Violin Maker (1666 – 1740)
Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri, also known as ‘filius Andrea,’ was the second son of Andrea Guarneri. He assisted his father for nearly twenty years and, upon his father’s death in 1698, inherited his father’s workshop. While his reputation as a maker is overshadowed by other family members, and by his contemporary, Stradivari, Giuseppe still managed to make as many violins as his father and even more violoncellos. It’s reported that many of the cellos attributed to his father Andrea later in his life were actually made by Giuseppe.
Similar to his father, Giuseppe developed his own style and also collaborated with other noted makers, including his son, Giuseppe ‘del Gesù,’ and Carlo Bergonzi.
Giuseppe’s last known instruments (bearing his label) date to around 1720. His two sons Pietro and Giuseppe ‘del Gesù’ continued the tradition of familial apprenticeship and were active contributors in the workshop starting in 1710. In 1711, Pietro left for Venice; however, Giuseppe ‘del Gesù’ remained in Cremona, assisting his father until he eventually inherited the Guarneri family workshop. Giuseppe del Gesù’s reputation as a maker ultimately eclipsed that of his father and some contend that his instruments attained levels of excellence that have never been surpassed.
