{"id":16977,"date":"2022-05-09T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/?p=16977"},"modified":"2022-09-19T09:47:05","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T07:47:05","slug":"violon-antonio-gragnani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/en\/2022\/05\/09\/violon-antonio-gragnani\/","title":{"rendered":"Un remarquable violon d\u2019un luthier unique : Antonio Gragnani"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Antonio Gragnani est un luthier \u00e0 part dans l\u2019histoire de la lutherie, dont l’\u0153uvre est synonyme de libert\u00e9 et \u00e9voque les grandes heures du port de Livourne. Libert\u00e9, car Gragnani exer\u00e7a toute sa vie \u00e0 Livourne, en marge des autres \u00e9coles, ce qui lui permit d\u2019\u00e9laborer un style unique. R\u00e9sultant du dynamisme de la ville portuaire et des mat\u00e9riaux fournis par le front de mer, la facture d\u2019Antonio Gragnani donne \u00e0 ses instruments un charme singulier et \u00e9vocateur. Vichy Ench\u00e8res vous propose aujourd\u2019hui de voyager avec ce remarquable violon de Gragnani, le luthier de Livourne\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Catalogue<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Contact<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Experts<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
English version<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Le plus grand luthier de Livourne : une vie peu connue, des instruments reconnus <\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Les Gragnani : une famille de luthiers active \u00e0 Livourne<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Bien que le nom d\u2019Antonio Gragnani soit connu dans le domaine de la lutherie, l\u2019homme l\u2019est beaucoup moins. Jusqu\u2019\u00e0 un temps avanc\u00e9, nous ne savions effectivement que tr\u00e8s peu de choses sur ce grand luthier. C\u2019est au cours des derni\u00e8res d\u00e9cennies que les recherches archivistiques ont lev\u00e9 le voile sur une partie de sa vie, dont voici un aper\u00e7u. Antonio Gragnani est n\u00e9 le 13 f\u00e9vrier 1728 \u00e0 Livourne et est issu d\u2019une famille de musiciens actifs dans la ville. Son p\u00e8re, \u00e9galement luthier, n\u2019est autre qu\u2019Onorato Gragnani – longtemps consid\u00e9r\u00e9 par erreur comme l\u2019un de ses fils.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Le travail d\u2019Antonio Gragnani h\u00e9rite en partie du savoir-faire de son p\u00e8re, notamment dans la conception des mod\u00e8les, comme en rend compte la comparaison du violon de la vente du 2 juin 2022 avec un mod\u00e8le de son p\u00e8re portant l\u2019\u00e9tiquette \u201cAntonius Gragnani\u201d (vente Vichy Ench\u00e8res, 11 juin 2015). Celle-ci met en \u00e9vidence une proximit\u00e9 stylistique dans la r\u00e9partition des masses, la courbe des C et le dessin des coins gamb\u00e9s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Violon, Vichy Ench\u00e8res, 2 juin 2022, \u00e9tiquette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Giovan<\/a>
Giovan Battista Salucci, Giuseppe Angeli, Vedute de Livourne, XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle, Mus\u00e9e de Livourne (d\u00e9tail)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Antonio avait un fils luthier en la personne de Giovanni Pietro Gragnani (1765-) – enregistr\u00e9 dans divers registres sous le titre de chitarraio –<\/em>, c\u2019est-\u00e0-dire de fabricant d\u2019instruments \u00e0 cordes pinc\u00e9es et frott\u00e9es. On sait \u00e9galement qu\u2019il avait un deuxi\u00e8me fils pr\u00e9nomm\u00e9 Filippo (1768-), mais qui ne semble pas avoir exerc\u00e9 la m\u00eame activit\u00e9. La tradition de la lutherie s\u2019est bel et bien perp\u00e9tu\u00e9e dans la famille puisque la fille d\u2019Antonio, Maria Elizabetta, eut un fils – Gaetano Bastogi – \u00e9galement luthier \u00e0 Livourne et r\u00e9put\u00e9 pour ses luths et cithares[1]<\/sup><\/a>. Dans son dictionnaire, Ren\u00e9 Vannes mentionne \u00e9galement deux autres luthiers appartenant \u00e0 la famille Gragnani, Gennaro et Jacobo, tous deux actifs durant la premi\u00e8re moiti\u00e9 du XVIII\u00e8me<\/sup> si\u00e8cle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Laurent Grillet,Les anc\u00eatres du violon et du violoncelle<\/em>, 1901, T2, p 187.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Antonio Gragnani semble avoir exerc\u00e9 son activit\u00e9 de luthier exclusivement \u00e0 Livourne qui \u00e9tait, depuis l\u2019installation des M\u00e9dicis en 1500, l\u2019un des ports les plus importants de l\u2019\u00e9poque. Ainsi, bien que Cr\u00e9mone soit le centre de lutherie le plus c\u00e9l\u00e8bre d\u2019Italie, la prosp\u00e9rit\u00e9 de la ville de Livourne favorisa le d\u00e9veloppement d\u2019une lutherie locale. Antonio Gragnani est actif \u00e0 partir des ann\u00e9es 1740 jusqu\u2019\u00e0 la fin du si\u00e8cle. La date de son d\u00e9c\u00e8s est m\u00e9connue, mais elle survint apr\u00e8s 1792 – ann\u00e9e durant laquelle sa participation au mariage de son fils Giovanni Pietro est assur\u00e9e.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Onorato<\/a>
Onorato Gragnani, violon portant \u00e9tiquette Antonius Gragnani, Livourne, Vichy Ench\u00e8res, 11 juin 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022\n\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Le<\/a>
Le port de Livourne, en Italie, au XVIIIe si\u00e8cle. Photo Bridgeman image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Des instruments ayant s\u00e9duit parmi les plus grands collectionneurs de l\u2019histoire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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La production d\u2019Antonio Gragnani est de haute qualit\u00e9 et a tr\u00e8s t\u00f4t s\u00e9duit les grands collectionneurs, et en premier lieu le Grand-Duc de Toscane L\u00e9opold II. Bien qu’il n’existe aucun document officialisant la relation entre les deux hommes, un violon aujourd\u2019hui conserv\u00e9 \u00e0 la Galleria dell\u2019Accademia<\/em> de Florence faisait originellement partie de la collection du Grand-Duc et apparait dans un inventaire de la collection de la famille en 1829. R\u00e9alis\u00e9 avant 1770, l’instrument est caract\u00e9ristique du style de la premi\u00e8re \u00e9poque de Gragnani, comme en t\u00e9moignent son mod\u00e8le, la taille et le dessin des ff<\/em>, ou encore le traitement de la t\u00eate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Plus r\u00e9cemment, un violon d\u2019Antonio Gragnani de 1788 se trouvait dans la collection d\u2019un des plus grands collectionneurs de la fin du XX\u00e8me si\u00e8cle, Laurence Witten, \u00e0 qui le Metmuseum rendait hommage en 2015. Witten avait un oeil aiguis\u00e9 en ce qui concerne le choix de ses instruments et s\u00e9lectionnait \u201cthe earliest, best preserved, and historically most important bowed stringed instruments known to survive in order to trace more systematically the early history of violin making in the chief Italian centers<\/a>.” Cette collection d\u00e9montre l\u2019importance de Gragnani, puisque l\u2019instrument y prenait place \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 d\u2019un violoncelle d\u2019Andrea Amati ou encore d\u2019un alto d\u2019Andrea Guarneri.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Leopold<\/a>
Leopold II de Toscane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, violon, avant 1770, ex grand-duc de Toscane, Galleria dell\u2019Accademia de Florence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Laurence<\/a>
Laurence Witten (\u00e0 gauche) et le marchand de livres anciens Nicholas Rauch, Mus\u00e9e national de la musique, Archives Witten<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Une production rare et raffin\u00e9e visible dans les plus illustres mus\u00e9es<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Les plus grandes collections mus\u00e9ales comprennent \u00e9galement des instruments d\u2019Antonio Gragnani, attestant une fois de plus de l\u2019importance du luthier de Livourne – d\u2019autant plus que ses instruments sont assez rares. Les mod\u00e8les conserv\u00e9s dans les mus\u00e9es permettent de donner un aper\u00e7u de l\u2019\u00e9tendue du savoir-faire de Gragnani et de la diversit\u00e9 de sa production. Ainsi, le Grassi Museum f\u00fcr Musikinstrumente <\/em>de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Leipzig conserve une superbe viole r\u00e9alis\u00e9e en 1791. Ce type d\u2019instrument semble exceptionnel dans la production de luthier. Notons toutefois qu\u2019Antoine Vidal signale dans son ouvrage sur les instruments \u00e0 archet, un par-dessus de viole \u00e0 cinq cordes qui figurait \u00e0 l\u2019exposition du Kensington Museum<\/em> de Londres en 1872 et qui portait l\u2019\u00e9tiquette \u201cFecit anno 1741\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/a>. Cet instrument est certainement celui aujourd\u2019hui conserv\u00e9 au Victoria & Albert Museum<\/em>, bien que le catalogue du mus\u00e9e donne une autre lecture de l\u2019\u00e9tiquette du pardessus de viole : \u201cAntonius Gragnani fecit \/ Luberti anno 174(?)1\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a>. Les instruments d\u2019Antonio Gragnani t\u00e9moignent toujours d\u2019un style personnel tr\u00e8s distinctif et d\u00e9montrent le haut degr\u00e9 de recherche stylistique du luthier, \u00e0 la personnalit\u00e9 affirm\u00e9e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le Staatliches Institut f\u00fcr Musikforschung <\/em>de Berlin conserve \u00e9galement un instrument assez rare dans la production du luthier, un alto dat\u00e9 de 1786. En effet, les altos sont moins fr\u00e9quents dans l’\u0153uvre de Gragnani et depuis 1930, seuls trois sont apparus sur le march\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notons enfin que les violoncelles sont \u00e9galement particuli\u00e8rement rares. Le luthier semble ainsi avoir fait du violon sa sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9, bien que l\u2019on en connaisse qu\u2019un nombre raisonnable. Le National Music Museum<\/em> de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 du Dakota du Sud en conserve un mod\u00e8le r\u00e9alis\u00e9 en 1788, soit un an avant la fabrication de celui de la vente Vichy Ench\u00e8res du 2 juin 2022. Malgr\u00e9 leur proximit\u00e9 stylistique, les ou\u00efes du violon du National Music Museum<\/em> sont l\u00e9g\u00e8rement moins fines et les coins sont encore tr\u00e8s \u00e9tir\u00e9s, rappelant le mod\u00e8le cr\u00e9monais, alors que l\u2019instrument du 2 juin suit un mod\u00e8le plus personnel.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Antoine Vidal, Les Instruments \u00e0 archets<\/em>, tome I, 1876<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Howard Schott, Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum<\/em>, V&A publications, 2002<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Altviole, 1791, \u00a9 Museum f\u00fcr Musikinstrumente der Universit\u00e4t Leipzig<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Alto, 1786, Staatliches Institut f\u00fcr Musikforschung de Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Violon, 1788, National Music Museum de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 du Dakota du Sud<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022\n\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Un style unique r\u00e9sultant de son regard sur les maitres et de sa vie \u00e0 Livourne<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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H\u00e9ritage et interpr\u00e9tation des ma\u00eetres cr\u00e9monais<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Le remarquable savoir-faire d\u2019Antonio Gragnani r\u00e9sulte d\u2019un savant \u00e9quilibre entre regard sur les ma\u00eetres cr\u00e9monais et \u00e9laboration d\u2019une facture personnelle. De fait, le luthier est connu pour ses violons \u00e9l\u00e9gamment con\u00e7us, souvent influenc\u00e9s par le travail de Stradivari, Guarneri ou encore Amati, mais au style toujours tr\u00e8s identifiable. Ses instruments sont r\u00e9put\u00e9s et appr\u00e9ci\u00e9s des musiciens pour leur ampleur tonale et leur puissance sonore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A titre d\u2019exemple, le Smithsonian National Museum of American History <\/em>de Whashington conserve un beau violon de 1783, de mod\u00e8le Amati, mais de forme plus allong\u00e9e et au chevillier plus petit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

R\u00e9put\u00e9 pour son savoir-faire minutieux, l\u2019affinit\u00e9 de Gragnani pour les Cr\u00e9monais est \u00e9vidente, sans pour autant que son travail ne tombe dans la copie. Il r\u00e9alisa notamment un certain nombre de violons de type Stradivari, mais en r\u00e9duisant le mod\u00e8le pour tendre vers des versions plus d\u00e9licates, \u00e0 l\u2019image du violon \u00e9tiquet\u00e9 1784, conserv\u00e9 \u00e0 la Galleria dell\u2019Accademia<\/em> de Florence et provenant de l\u2019ancienne collection d\u2019Assunta del Bello.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le violon de la vente du 2 juin 2022 est \u00e9galement r\u00e9alis\u00e9 d\u2019apr\u00e8s un mod\u00e8le Stradivari, mais est caract\u00e9ristique du travail de Gragnani. En effet, les instruments de Gragnani ont des t\u00eates assez allong\u00e9es, minces et tr\u00e8s typ\u00e9es. De mani\u00e8re g\u00e9n\u00e9rale, les instruments de Gragnani sont tr\u00e8s en courbes. La volute de ce violon est fine et \u00e9l\u00e9gante, de forme ovale et \u00e9tir\u00e9e verticalement, harmonieusement creus\u00e9e et \u00e0 coquillon saillant. L’arri\u00e8re de la coulisse de t\u00eate est assez forte et le chevillier dessine une forme en \u201cS caract\u00e9ristique.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragani, Violon, 1783, Smithsonian National Museum of American History<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Violon, \u00e9tiquet\u00e9 1784, Galleria dell\u2019Accademia de Florence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022\n\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022\n\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Un style unique r\u00e9sultant de sa vie \u00e0 Livourne<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"La<\/figure>\n
La ville de Livourne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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La singularit\u00e9 de son travail s\u2019explique en partie par son activit\u00e9 \u00e0 Livourne, ville dans laquelle il travailla toute sa vie apr\u00e8s une probable formation \u00e0 Florence qui n\u2019impr\u00e9gna pas son style. Dans les ann\u00e9es 1700, le port de Livourne \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s important et la ville, devenue une plaque tournante de marchandises, commer\u00e7ait avec le reste de l\u2019Europe. En 1737, Livourne b\u00e9n\u00e9ficia du statut de port franc et fut exempt\u00e9e de services de douanes. Elle devint alors le principal port de d\u00e9barquement de personnes et de marchandises en provenance et \u00e0 destination de l\u2019Italie. Ce contexte pourrait expliquer les influences \u00e9trang\u00e8res, notamment flamandes et allemandes, perceptibles dans certains instruments de Gragnani.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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En outre, l\u2019emplacement en bord de mer de la ville fournit \u00e0 Antonio Gragnani des mat\u00e9riaux diff\u00e9rents de ceux utilis\u00e9s par ses contemporains travaillant dans les terres, singularisant ainsi sa production. Ainsi, Gragnani est l\u2019un des seuls luthiers italiens \u00e0 r\u00e9aliser ses filets en fanons de baleine – une technique que l\u2019on retrouve chez les flamands. Ce mat\u00e9riau donne de la brillance aux filets et conf\u00e8re aux instruments une allure raffin\u00e9e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le violon de la vente du 2 juin 2022 en offre un bel exemple avec ses filets tr\u00e8s soign\u00e9s qui r\u00e9fl\u00e9chissent la lumi\u00e8re. L\u2019examen sous UV permet de constater qu\u2019il s\u2019agit bel et bien de fanons de baleine, puisqu\u2019ils apparaissent blancs sous lumi\u00e8re noire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Violon<\/a>
\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Sous UV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Sous UV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Entre savoir-faire et perfectionnisme<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Le grand savoir-faire et la coh\u00e9rence stylistique de Gragnani apparaissent nettement lorsque l’on regarde le violon de plus pr\u00e8s. Le traitement des filets dans les coins est particuli\u00e8rement int\u00e9ressant, puisqu\u2019il t\u00e9moigne de l\u2019attention minutieuse du luthier \u00e0 ce que ses filets se rejoignent exactement au centre de l\u2019extr\u00e9mit\u00e9 de chaque coin, en une pointe dont la fin est presque imperceptible et qui se prolonge jusqu\u2019au bord. Plusieurs exemples t\u00e9moignent du perfectionnisme de Gragnani, qui reprit avec du mastic certains filets afin de les recentrer et de les prolonger parfaitement au centre du coin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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En outre, Gragnani choisissait des bois de qualit\u00e9 donnant du caract\u00e8re \u00e0 ses instruments, \u00e0 l\u2019image du violon de la vente Vichy Ench\u00e8res du 2 juin 2022, dont la table est r\u00e9alis\u00e9e \u00e0 partir d\u2019un bois \u00e0 accroissements larges. Chose assez rare pour des instruments de cette \u00e9poque, on retrouve \u00e0 l\u2019int\u00e9rieur de ce mod\u00e8le le tasseau sup\u00e9rieur ainsi qu\u2019un clou d\u2019origine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antonio Gragnani \u00e9tait exigeant et fier de son travail, puisqu\u2019il marquait ses instruments de ses initiales \u00e0 plusieurs endroits, comme c\u2019est le cas de ce violon marqu\u00e9 au niveau du talon, du bouton et sur la table au niveau du pied de manche en dessous la touche.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Antonio<\/a>
Filets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Filets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022 \u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Antonio<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a><\/figure>\n
Antonio Gragnani, Violon, Vichy Ench\u00e8res, 2 juin 2022 @ Maison Vatelot Rampal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rendez-vous le 2 juin 2022 \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res pour suivre la vente de ce violon charmant et \u00e9vocateur de la vie portuaire de Livourne du XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle !<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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A REMARKABLE VIOLIN BY A UNIQUE MAKER: ANTONIO GRAGNANI<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Antonio Gragnani is a unique personality in the history of violin making, whose work is synonymous with freedom and evokes the heyday of the port of Livorno. Freedom, because Gragnani worked all his life in Livorno, on the fringes of other schools, which allowed him to develop his own unique style. The craftsmanship of Antonio Gragnani, which was influenced by the very active port city where he worked and by the materials arriving from overseas through the shipping trade, gave his instruments a singular and evocative charm. Vichy Ench\u00e8res invites you to travel back in time with this remarkable violin by Gragnani, the violin maker of Livorno…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Catalog<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Contact<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Experts<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Version fran\u00e7aise<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The greatest violin maker of Livorno: renowned instruments by a maker of whom we know very little<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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The Gragnanis: a family of makers active in Livorno<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Although the name of Antonio Gragnani is known in the field of violin making, the man himself is much less so. Until recently, we actually knew very little about this great violin maker. It is only during the last decades that research into historical documents has lifted the veil on part of his life. We summarise the results of this research below. Antonio Gragnani was born on 13 February 1728 in Livorno and came from a family of musicians who were active in the city. His father, also a violin maker, was none other than Onorato Gragnani – long thought to have been one of his sons, incorrectly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Antonio Gragnani’s work was influenced in part of his father’s making style and techniques, particularly in the design of the models, as evidenced by the comparison of the violin from the sale of 2 June 2022 with an instrument from his father bearing the label “Antonius Gragnani\u201d (Vichy Ench\u00e8res sale, 11 June 2015). This comparison highlights a stylistic similarity in the overall design, the curve of the C-bouts and the design of the corners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Violon, Vichy Ench\u00e8res, 2 juin 2022, \u00e9tiquette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Giovan<\/a>
Giovan Battista Salucci, Giuseppe Angeli, Vedute de Livourne, XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle, Mus\u00e9e de Livourne (d\u00e9tail)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Antonio had a son, Giovanni Pietro Gragnani (1765-?), who also became a violin maker and who is recorded in various registers under the title of chitarraio<\/em>, i.e. maker of plucked and bowed string instruments. We also know that he had a second son named Filippo (1768-?), but he does not seem to have carried out the family\u2019s trade. However, the violin making tradition in the family was perpetuated, since Antonio’s daughter, Maria Elizabetta, had a son, Gaetano Bastogi, who also became violin maker in Livorno and was renowned for his lutes and zithers[1]<\/sup><\/a>. In his dictionary, Ren\u00e9 Vannes also mentions two other violin makers belonging to the Gragnani family, Gennaro and Jacobo, both active during the first half of the 18th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Laurent Grillet,Les anc\u00eatres du violon et du violoncelle<\/em>, 1901, T2, p 187.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Antonio Gragnani seems to have been active as a violin maker exclusively in Livorno, which was, since the arrival of the Medici in 1500, one of the most important ports at the time. Therefore, although Cremona is the most famous centre of violin making in Italy, the prosperity of the city of Livorno was a fertile ground for the development of a local violin making trade. Antonio Gragnani seems to have practiced his trade there from the 1740s until the end of the century. The date of his death is unknown, but it occurred after 1792, as he is recorded as having taken part in the marriage of his son Giovanni Pietro that year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Onorato<\/a>
Onorato Gragnani, violon portant \u00e9tiquette Antonius Gragnani, Livourne, Vichy Ench\u00e8res, 11 juin 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022\n\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Le<\/a>
Le port de Livourne, en Italie, au XVIIIe si\u00e8cle. Photo Bridgeman image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Instruments that have won over some of the greatest collectors in history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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La production d\u2019Antonio Gragnani est de haute qualit\u00e9 et a tr\u00e8s t\u00f4t s\u00e9duit les grands collectionneurs, et en premier lieu le Grand-Duc de Toscane L\u00e9opold II. Bien qu’il n’existe aucun document officialisant la relation entre les deux hommes, un violon aujourd\u2019hui conserv\u00e9 \u00e0 la Galleria dell\u2019Accademia<\/em> de Florence faisait originellement partie de la collection du Grand-Duc et apparait dans un inventaire de la collection de la famille en 1829. R\u00e9alis\u00e9 avant 1770, l’instrument est caract\u00e9ristique du style de la premi\u00e8re \u00e9poque de Gragnani, comme en t\u00e9moignent son mod\u00e8le, la taille et le dessin des ff<\/em>, ou encore le traitement de la t\u00eate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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More recently, an Antonio Gragnani violin from 1788 was in the collection of one of the greatest collectors of the late 20th century, Laurence Witten, to whom the Metropolitan Museum paid homage in 2015. Witten had a keen eye for picking instruments and only selected \u201cthe earliest, best preserved, and historically most important bowed stringed instruments known to survive in order to trace more systematically the early history of violin making in the chief Italian centers.<\/a>” This collection demonstrates the importance of Gragnani, since his instrument took pride of place in it, alongside a cello by Andrea Amati and a viola by Andrea Guarneri.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Anton<\/a>
Anton von Maron, L\u00e9opold II d’Autriche, Grand-Duc de Toscane, Ch\u00e2teau de Versailles, \u00a9 RMN Jean Popovitch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, violon, avant 1770, ex grand-duc de Toscane, Galleria dell\u2019Accademia de Florence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Laurence<\/a>
Laurence Witten (\u00e0 gauche) et le marchand de livres anciens Nicholas Rauch, Mus\u00e9e national de la musique, Archives Witten<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rare and refined instruments on display in the most illustrious museums<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The greatest museum collections also include instruments by Antonio Gragnani, once again attesting to the importance of the violin maker from Livorno – especially since his instruments are quite rare. The examples kept in museums give an overview of the high quality of Gragnani’s craftsmanship and the diversity of his production. For instance, the Grassi Museum f\u00fcr Musikinstrumente of the University of Leipzig has in its collections a superb viol made in 1791. This type of instrument is highly unusual in the output of violin makers. Note, however, that Antoine Vidal mentions in his work on bowed instruments a five-string pardessus de viole<\/em> which featured in the exhibition at the Kensington Museum in London in 1872 and which bears the label \u201cFecit anno 1741\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/a>. This instrument is most likely the one now kept in the Victoria & Albert Museum, despite the museum catalogue indicating that the instrument\u2019s label reads: \u201cAntonius Gragnani fecit \/ Luberti anno 174(?)1\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a>. Antonio Gragnani’s instruments always bear witness to a very distinctive personal style and demonstrate their maker\u2019s deep stylistic research and an assertive personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Staatliches Institut f\u00fcr Musikforschung in Berlin also keeps a rather rare instrument in the violin maker’s output: a viola dated 1786. Indeed, violas are less common in Gragnani’s work and since 1930 only three have surfaced on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we should mention that cellos by this maker are also particularly rare. Gragnani therefore seems to have made violins his speciality, although only a limited number of these are known. The National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota has an example made in 1788, one year before the one in the Vichy Ench\u00e8res sale of 2 June 2022. Despite their stylistic similarity, the f-holes of the violin at the National Music Museum are slightly less narrow and the corners are still very stretched out, and are reminiscent of the Cremonese style, whilst the instrument in the 2 June sale is based on a more personal model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Antoine Vidal, Les Instruments \u00e0 archets<\/em>, tome I, 1876<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Howard Schott, Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum<\/em>, V&A publications, 2002<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Altviole, 1791, \u00a9 Museum f\u00fcr Musikinstrumente der Universit\u00e4t Leipzig<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Alto, 1786, Staatliches Institut f\u00fcr Musikforschung de Berlin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Violon, 1788, National Music Museum de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 du Dakota du Sud<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022\n\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A unique style resulting from his study of the masters and his life in Livorno<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Legacy and interpretation of the Cremonese masters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The remarkable craftsmanship of Antonio Gragnani results from a fine balance between taking inspiration from the Cremonese masters and developing a personal style. The maker is known for his elegantly designed violins, often influenced by the work of Stradivari, Guarneri or even Amati, but with a style that is always very recognizable. His instruments are renowned and appreciated by musicians for their tonal range and their power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example is conserved in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington: a beautiful violin from 1783 on the Amati model, but more elongated in shape and with a smaller pegbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gragnani\u2019s work, distinguishable by his meticulous craftsmanship, is indebted to the Cremonese masters, without being a mere copy. In particular, he made a few Stradivari-type violins, but, by reducing their proportions, produced more delicate instruments; the violin dated 1784, kept at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence and coming from the historic collection of Assunta del Bello, is a good example of this.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The violin in the sale of 2 June 2022 is also made after a Stradivari model, but features typical elements of Gragnani’s work. Indeed, Gragnani’s instruments have rather elongated, thin and very distinctive heads. In general, Gragnani’s instruments have strong curves. The volute of this violin is fine and elegant, oval in shape and stretching vertically, harmoniously hollowed out and with a protruding eye. The back of the head mortise is strongly carved and the pegbox follows a characteristic \u201cS\u201d shape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragani, Violon, 1783, Smithsonian National Museum of American History<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Antonio Gragnani, Violon, \u00e9tiquet\u00e9 1784, Galleria dell\u2019Accademia de Florence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022\n\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022\n\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A unique style resulting from his life in Livorno<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"La<\/figure>\n
La ville de Livourne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The singular nature of his work is partly explained by the place where he exercised his trade, Livorno, a city in which he worked all his life after possibly training in Florence, which did not seem to have influenced his style. In the 1700s, the port of Livorno was very important and the city had become a centre for trading goods with the rest of Europe. In 1737, Livorno was granted the status of free port and became exempt from customs duties. This status made of Livorno the main port for passengers and goods travelling to and from Italy. This historical context could explain the foreign influences, in particular Flemish and German, sometimes perceptible in Gragnani instruments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In addition, the city’s maritime trade provided Antonio Gragnani with materials that were different from those used by his contemporaries working inland, therefore making his output unique. For instance, Gragnani is one of the rare Italian luthiers to have used whalebone for his purfling \u2013 something that can also be found amongst Flemish makers. This material gives a shine to the purfling and a refined look to the instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The violin in the sale of 2 June 2022 provides a fine example of this, with its very precise purfling that reflects the light. Examination under UV shows that it is indeed whalebone, since it appears white under black light.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Violon<\/a>
\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
\u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Sous UV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Sous UV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Between craftsmanship and perfectionism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Gragnani’s superior craftsmanship and coherent style are clearly apparent when one takes a closer look at the violin. The placement of the purfling in the corners is particularly interesting, and demonstrates the meticulous care the maker took to ensure that his purfling strips met exactly in the centre of each corner, forming a fluted spike whose end is almost imperceptible and extends to the corner end. Several other examples attest to the perfectionism of Gragnani, who used filler in certain cases to recentre the purfling and extend it perfectly to the middle of the corner end.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In addition, Gragnani selected choice wood for making his instruments, giving them more character in the process, as with the violin in the Vichy Ench\u00e8res sale of 2 June 2022, whose front is made of wood with large growth rings. In addition, this instrument has retained its top block and one original nail in it, which is something quite rare for instruments of this period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antonio Gragnani had high standards and was proud of his work, and he branded his instruments with his initials in several places. This is the case with this violin, which is branded at the neck heel, the button and on the front towards the base of the neck below the fingerboard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Antonio<\/a>
Filets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a>
Filets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Violon d’Antonio GRAGNANI Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 2 juin 2022 \u00a9 Christophe DARBELET<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Antonio<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Antonio<\/a><\/figure>\n
Antonio Gragnani, Violon, Vichy Ench\u00e8res, 2 juin 2022 @ Maison Vatelot Rampal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We hope to see you on 2 June 2022 at Vichy Ench\u00e8res to take part in the sale of this charming violin, so evocative of 18th century port life in Livorno!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\ude80 Suivez-nous !<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n