{"id":30458,"date":"2025-10-17T11:51:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T09:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/?p=30458"},"modified":"2025-11-10T09:41:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:41:26","slug":"violoncelle-lorenzo-ventapane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/en\/2025\/10\/17\/violoncelle-lorenzo-ventapane\/","title":{"rendered":"Lorenzo Ventapane et les violoncelles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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La figure de Lorenzo Ventapane demeure paradoxale dans l\u2019histoire de la lutherie italienne du tournant des XVIIIe<\/sup> et XIXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cles. D\u2019un c\u00f4t\u00e9, son nom appara\u00eet r\u00e9guli\u00e8rement dans les ouvrages sp\u00e9cialis\u00e9s comme celui d\u2019un des plus importants luthiers napolitains en dehors de la dynastie Gagliano et ses instruments – ses violoncelles en particulier – sont d\u00e9crits comme de premier ordre. D\u2019un autre c\u00f4t\u00e9, son \u0153uvre reste mal document\u00e9e et souffre de mauvaises attributions et de lacunes en collections mus\u00e9ales. La d\u00e9couverte d\u2019un nouveau violoncelle de Lorenzo Ventapane, pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 lors de nos ventes d\u2019instruments de prestige de d\u00e9cembre 2025, nous donne l\u2019occasion de revenir sur le travail de ce luthier, et de donner un aper\u00e7u de sa production de violoncelles.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Catalogue<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Vente du 1er d\u00e9cembre 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Vente du 2 d\u00e9cembre 2025 <\/em><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Vente du 3 d\u00e9cembre 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Vente du 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025<\/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 luthier napolitain<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Giacinto<\/a>
Giacinto Gigante – vue de la rue de Tol\u00e8de \u00e0 Naples, vers 1830. Museo nazionale di San Martino \u00e0 Naples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lorenzo Ventapane est n\u00e9 en 1780 et mort en 1843. Il fut actif \u00e0 Naples durant la premi\u00e8re moiti\u00e9 du XIXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle. Il appartient \u00e0 une dynastie de luthiers et est g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement consid\u00e9r\u00e9 comme le neveu de Vincenzo Ventapane (1750-1799) – figure majeure de la g\u00e9n\u00e9ration pr\u00e9c\u00e9dente. Vincenzo Ventapane est g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 comme ayant \u00e9t\u00e9 l\u2019\u00e9l\u00e8ve d\u2019Antonio et Raffaele Gagliano. Selon plusieurs sources, Lorenzo Ventapane aurait lui aussi \u00e9t\u00e9 form\u00e9 par un membre de la famille Gagliano – probablement Giovanni Gagliano (1751-1820) ou son fils Niccol\u00f2 II Gagliano (1787-1866). Toutefois, cette hypoth\u00e8se est remise en doute par plusieurs experts, dont Jonathan Marolle :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPersonnellement, j\u2019ai peine \u00e0 croire qu\u2019il ait pu \u00eatre \u00e9l\u00e8ve d\u2019un des Gagliano. Ses mod\u00e8les sont assez \u00e9loign\u00e9s de ceux qu\u2019on peut trouver chez les diff\u00e9rents membres de la famille.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Jonathan Marolle, Vatelot-Rampal, Paris Luthier, sp\u00e9cialiste des instruments du quatuor \u00e0 cordes. Expert pr\u00e8s la Cour d\u2019Appel de Paris, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Une chose est s\u00fbre, les luthiers de ces deux familles \u00e9taient en contact. En 2023, Vichy Ench\u00e8res avait d\u2019ailleurs vendu un int\u00e9ressant violoncelle 1\/2, portant une \u00e9tiquette apocryphe de Gagliano, dont la table et la t\u00eate \u00e9taient probablement de Lorenzo Ventapane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vers 1800, Lorenzo Ventapane s\u2019\u00e9tablit au 23 Calata Borgo di Loreto, \u00e0 Naples, puis au n\u00b0 35 de la Strada Donnaregina[1]<\/sup><\/a>. Walter Hamma le d\u00e9crit comme \u201cun luthier napolitain \u00e0 la personnalit\u00e9 franche et originale\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a>, capable d\u2019assimiler l\u2019influence de la tradition tout en affirmant une facture propre. Il s\u2019imposa en effet comme l\u2019un des principaux repr\u00e9sentants de la lutherie napolitaine de son temps et il est, encore aujourd\u2019hui, souvent consid\u00e9r\u00e9 comme \u201cle plus important des luthiers napolitains en dehors de la famille Gagliano\u201d[3]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les \u00e9tiquettes d\u2019\u00e9poque relev\u00e9es sur ses instruments le d\u00e9signent comme un \u201cfabbricante di strumenti armonici<\/em>\u201d ou \u201cdi strumenti da corde<\/em>\u201d, ce qui sugg\u00e8re que sa production ne se limitait pas aux seuls violons mais qu\u2019elle embrassait l\u2019ensemble des instruments \u00e0 cordes frott\u00e9es et pinc\u00e9es.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il fut actif probablement jusque dans les ann\u00e9es 1830-1840, avant sa mort \u00e0 Naples en 1843. Par la suite, Pasquale Ventapane (1830\u20131890), qui \u00e9tait sans doute son fils, \u0153uvra \u00e9galement \u00e0 Naples.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Rue<\/a>
Rue Borgo Loreto, \u00e0 Naples – 1931. Archivio fotografico Parisio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Largo<\/a>
Largo Donnaregina – Chiesa di San Maria Donnaregina Nuova \u00e0 Naples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Les sources anciennes, de L\u00fctgendorff[4]<\/sup><\/a> \u00e0 Jalovec[5]<\/sup><\/a>, s\u2019accordent \u00e0 reconna\u00eetre en Lorenzo Ventapane une personnalit\u00e9 marquante de l\u2019\u00e9cole napolitaine, \u00e0 la facture personnelle et dont la r\u00e9putation s\u2019\u00e9tendit rapidement bien au-del\u00e0 de Naples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Ren\u00e9 Vannes, Dictionnaire universel des luthiers<\/em>, tome second, tome additif et correctif, 1959<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Walter Hamma, Meister Italienischer geigenbaukunst<\/em>, Florian Noetzel, Ars Musica, Allemagne, 1993<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> Tim Ingles, Four Centuries of Violin Making<\/em>, 2006<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/sup><\/a> Willibald Leo von L\u00fctgendorff, Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart,<\/em> II, 1922<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/sup><\/a> Karel Jalovec, Italienische Geigenbauer<\/em>, Artia, 1957<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violon de Lorenzo Ventapane – vers 1800 \u00e0 Naples – Royal Academy of Music Museum \u00e0 Londres.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A gauche et au centre : Violoncelle portant \u00e9tiquette apocryphe de Gagliano, \u00e0 la table et la t\u00eate probablement de Lorenzo Ventapane,.
Instrument vendu par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 30 novembre 2023.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Les violoncelles connus de Lorenzo Ventapane<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a>
.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n
Violoncelles piccoli, n\u00b0inv.5.98, .5.99 et 5.100 – Conservatorio di Musica San Pietro a Majella \u00e0 Naples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Les violoncelles authentiques de Lorenzo Ventapane parvenus jusqu\u2019\u00e0 nous sont d\u2019une grande raret\u00e9. On n\u2019en conna\u00eet qu\u2019un petit nombre, environ une quinzaine, majoritairement r\u00e9alis\u00e9s entre 1820 et 1825, dans son atelier de la Strada Donnaregina<\/em> \u00e0 Naples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parmi ces instruments, on compte notamment un violoncelle dat\u00e9 de 1824 qui a appartenu \u00e0 Jacques Fran\u00e7ais et Rembert Wurlitzer, dont les fonds d\u2019archives sont aujourd\u2019hui conserv\u00e9s au Smithsonian <\/em>\u00e0 Washington<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u2019autres violoncelles attribu\u00e9s \u00e0 Ventapane pr\u00e9sentent des \u00e9tiquettes de la famille Gagliano, rappelant la proximit\u00e9 des ateliers napolitains du d\u00e9but du XIXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle et la parent\u00e9 stylistique de certains de leurs instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On conna\u00eet \u00e9galement quelques violoncelles plus tardifs, dat\u00e9s vers 1840, sans qu\u2019il soit toujours possible de d\u00e9terminer s\u2019ils sortent directement de son atelier ou de celui de Pasquale Ventapane, actif dans les d\u00e9cennies suivantes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Les recherches de provenance montrent que plusieurs mod\u00e8les sont aujourd\u2019hui entre les mains d\u2019un certain nombre de musiciens professionnels, tels que ceux de la Chamber Orchestra of Europe <\/em>et de l\u2019Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment <\/em>de Londres. On peut aussi citer le violoncelliste solo de la Brussels Philharmonic<\/em>, Karel Steylaerts, jouant sur un mod\u00e8le de 1834, ou encore Payam Taghadossi, qui utilise notamment un instrument au sein de l\u2019ensemble \u201cTrio Gagliano\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dans les collections publiques, les violoncelles de Lorenzo Ventapane sont encore plus rares. Toutefois, il est int\u00e9ressant de noter qu\u2019un inventaire du Conservatorio di Musica San Pietro a Majella<\/em>, r\u00e9alis\u00e9 vers 1900, mentionnait vingt-quatre violoncelles de Lorenzo Ventapane destin\u00e9s \u00e0 l\u2019enseignement. Aujourd\u2019hui, seuls trois instruments attribu\u00e9s \u00e0 Lorenzo Ventapane subsisteraient dans ces collections[1]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Sisto, Luigi. Il Museo degli Strumenti Musicali del Conservatorio di \u201cSan Pietro a Majella\u201d: catalogazioni e interventi di restauro<\/em>. Dans Pr\u00e9sentation de la fiche SMO (Strumenti Musicali \u2013 Organo). Vers la d\u00e9finition des fiches des autres instruments de musique. Actes du s\u00e9minaire \u2013 Cr\u00e9mone, 19-20 mars 2009. Cr\u00e9mone, 2009<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Archive<\/a>
Archive photo du Conservatoire di San Pietro a Majella \u00e0 Naples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Karel<\/a>
Karel Steyylarts et son violoncelle de Lorenzo Ventapane de 1834, accompagnateur au concours de la Reine Elisabeth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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La d\u00e9couverte d\u2019un nouveau violoncelle de Lorenzo Ventapane<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n
Violoncelle de Lorenzo Ventapane.
Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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R\u00e9alis\u00e9 autour des ann\u00e9es 1810-1820, le violoncelle de Lorenzo Ventapane pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 \u00e0 la vente de Vichy Ench\u00e8res, le 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025, vient donc enrichir ce mince corpus de mod\u00e8les authentiques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cet instrument illustre la singularit\u00e9 de sa facture. Comme nous le d\u00e9crit Jonathan Marolle :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLorenzo Ventapane a un style vraiment personnel. Ses mod\u00e8les sont assez \u00e9loign\u00e9s de ceux qu\u2019on peut trouver chez les diff\u00e9rents membres de la famille Gagliano. On peut \u00e9ventuellement noter une certaine similitude dans le dessin de ff<\/em> avec les instrument de Rafaelle et Antonio Gagliano qui travaillaient \u00e0 la m\u00eame \u00e9poque. Son travail s\u2019inscrit avant tout dans la tradition napolitaine, reconnaissable \u00e0 son vernis jaune sec, \u00e0 ses filets dont les blancs sont en h\u00eatre, et \u00e0 la mani\u00e8re caract\u00e9ristique dont les tables sont goupill\u00e9es aux \u00e9clisses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Jonathan Marolle, Vatelot-Rampal, Paris Luthier, sp\u00e9cialiste des instruments du quatuor \u00e0 cordes. Expert pr\u00e8s la Cour d\u2019Appel de Paris, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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L\u2019instrument porte \u00e9galement une \u00e9tiquette de restauration par Postiglione, autre figure importante de la lutherie napolitaine \u00e0 la fin du XIXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cet \u00e9l\u00e9ment fait \u00e9cho \u00e0 un des violoncelles conserv\u00e9s au Conservatoire San Pietro a Majella de Naples, qui pr\u00e9sente lui aussi une \u00e9tiquette de restauration du m\u00eame luthier[1]<\/sup><\/a>. Postiglione, \u00e0 la t\u00eate d\u2019un atelier important d\u00e8s les ann\u00e9es 1880, aurait pu, selon Jonathan Marolle, assurer l\u2019entretien d\u2019une partie des instruments du Conservatoire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enfin, la provenance apporte un \u00e9clairage singulier sur la trajectoire de cet instrument, issu de l\u2019inventaire d\u2019un luthier argentin actif dans la seconde moiti\u00e9 du XXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle. Son parcours t\u00e9moigne de la large diffusion des instruments napolitains, dont la r\u00e9putation s\u2019est \u00e9tendue jusqu\u2019\u00e0 l\u2019Am\u00e9rique du Sud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Cautela, Gemma ; Starita, Lorella ; Sisto, Luigi (dirs.). Dal Segno al Suono. Il Conservatorio di Musica \u201cSan Pietro a Majella\u201d. Repertorio del patrimonio storico-artistico e degli strumenti musicali.<\/em> Naples : Arte-m, 2010<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ce violoncelle de Lorenzo Ventapane offre ainsi une rare occasion de red\u00e9couvrir le savoir-faire de ce ma\u00eetre napolitain du XIXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle. Alors ne manquez pas la vente de cet instrument remarquable le 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025 \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res !<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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THE CELLOS OF LORENZO VENTAPANE<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Lorenzo Ventapane is an enigmatic figure in the history of Italian violin making at the turn of the 18th<\/sup> and 19th <\/sup>centuries. On the one hand, his name appears regularly in violin publications as one of the most important Neapolitan makers, alongside the Gagliano dynasty, and his instruments \u2013 in particular his cellos \u2013 are considered first class. On the other hand, there is little information available about his work, which is often misunderstood due to misattributions and lack of representation in museum collections. The discovery of a new cello by Lorenzo Ventapane, which will be auctioned during our sale of fine string instruments in December 2025, is the opportunity to revisit the work of this maker and provide a brief outline of his cello production.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Catalog<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 1 December 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 2 December 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 3 December 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 4 December 2025<\/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 NEAPOLITAN MAKER<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Giacinto<\/a>
Giacinto Gigante – view of Toledo Street in Naples, circa 1830. Museo nazionale di San Martino \u00e0 Naples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lorenzo Ventapane was born in 1780 and died in 1843. He was active in Naples during the first half of the 19th<\/sup> century. He comes from a long line of violin makers and is generally considered the nephew of Vincenzo Ventapane (1750-1799) \u2013 a leading figure of the generation above. Vincenzo Ventapane is generally thought to have trained with Antonio and Raffaele Gagliano. According to several sources, Lorenzo Ventapane would also have be taught by a member of the Gagliano family \u2013 probably Giovanni Gagliano (1751-1820) or his son Niccol\u00f2 II Gagliano (1787-1866). However, this theory has been challenged by several experts, including Jonathan Marolle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPersonally, I find it hard to believe that he could have been a pupil of one of the Gaglianos. His models are quite different from those used by the various members of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Jonathan Marolle, Vatelot-Rampal, Paris Luthier, specialist in string quartet instruments. Expert at the Paris Court of Appeal, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

One thing is certain: the makers of these two families interacted with each other. In 2023, Vichy Ench\u00e8res sold an interesting half-size cello, bearing a facsimile Gagliano label, whose front and head were probably made by Lorenzo Ventapane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 1800, Lorenzo Ventapane set up shop at 23 Calata Borgo di Loreto, in Naples, and later at number 35 Strada Donnaregina[1]<\/sup><\/a>. Walter Hamma described him as \u201ca Neapolitan maker with a forthright and original personality\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a>, capable of incorporating tradition whilst asserting his own distinctive style. He became one of the leading representatives of the Neapolitan school of his time and is still often considered today to be \u201cthe most important Neapolitan maker apart from the Gagliano family\u201d[3]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original labels found in his instruments describe him as a \u201cfabbricante di strumenti armonici<\/em>\u201d or \u201cdi strumenti da corde<\/em>\u201d, suggesting that his production was not limited to violins but included all sorts of bowed and plucked string instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was probably active until the 1830s or 1840s, before his death in Naples in 1843. Subsequently, Pasquale Ventapane (1830\u20131890), who was likely his son, also worked in Naples.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Rue<\/a>
Borgo Loreto Street, Naples – 1931. Archivio fotografico Parisio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Largo<\/a>
Largo Donnaregina – Chiesa di San Maria Donnaregina Nuova \u00e0 Naples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Early sources, from L\u00fctgendorff[4]<\/sup><\/a> to Jalovec[5]<\/sup><\/a>, , concur in recognizing Lorenzo Ventapane as a leading figure of the Neapolitan school, with a distinctive style and a reputation that quickly spread far beyond Naples.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Ren\u00e9 Vannes, Dictionnaire universel des luthiers<\/em>, tome second, tome additif et correctif, 1959<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Walter Hamma, Meister Italienischer geigenbaukunst<\/em>, Florian Noetzel, Ars Musica, Allemagne, 1993<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> Tim Ingles, Four Centuries of Violin Making<\/em>, 2006<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/sup><\/a> Willibald Leo von L\u00fctgendorff, Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart,<\/em> II, 1922<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/sup><\/a> Karel Jalovec, Italienische Geigenbauer<\/em>, Artia, 1957<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violon<\/a>
Violin by Lorenzo Ventapane – circa 1800 in Naples -Royal Academy of Music Museum \u00e0 Londres.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Left and centre: Cello bearing an apocryphal Gagliano label, with the table and head probably by Lorenzo Ventapane.
Instrument sold by Vichy Ench\u00e8res on 30 November 2023.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Known cellos attributed to Lorenzo Ventapane<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a>
.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n
Small cellos, n\u00b0inv.5.98, .5.99 et 5.100 – Conservatorio di Musica San Pietro a Majella in Naples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Authentic cellos by Lorenzo Ventapane that have survived to the present day are extremely rare. Only a small number, around 15, are known, and they were mostly made during the period 1820 to 1825 in his workshop on the Strada Donnaregina<\/em> in Naples. Amongst these instruments is a cello dated 1824 that belonged to Jacques Fran\u00e7ais and Rembert Wurlitzer, whose historical archives are now held at the Smithsonian <\/em>Institution in Washington D.C.<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cellos attributed to Ventapane bear labels of Gagliano family members, denoting the close relationship between these two Neapolitan workshops in the early 19th<\/sup> century and the stylistic similarities between some of their instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also some later cellos, dating from around 1840, for which it is not always possible to determine whether they came from his workshop or from that of Pasquale Ventapane, who was active in the following decades.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Research into the provenance of instruments reveals that several examples are now in the hands of a number of professional musicians, including members of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in London. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the principal cellist of the Brussels Philharmonic, Karel Steylaerts, plays an 1834 example, and Payam Taghadossi of the \u201cTrio Gagliano\u201d also plays a cello made by him. Lorenzo Ventapane cellos are even rarer in public collections. However, it is interesting to note that an inventory of the Conservatorio di Musica San Pietro a Majella<\/em>, compiled around 1900, listed 24 cellos attributed to Lorenzo Ventapane, which were intended for teaching. Today, only three instruments of these instruments are still thought to be in this museum\u2019s collections[1]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Sisto, Luigi. Il Museo degli Strumenti Musicali del Conservatorio di \u201cSan Pietro a Majella\u201d: catalogazioni e interventi di restauro<\/em>. In Presentation of the file SMO (Strumenti Musicali \u2013 Organo).Towards the definition of other musical instruments. Seminar proceedings \u2013 Cremona, 19\u201320 March 2009. Cremona, 2009<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Archive<\/a>
Photo archive of the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella in Naples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Karel<\/a>
Karel Steyylarts and his 1834 Lorenzo Ventapane cello, accompanist at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The discovery of a new cello by Lorenzo Ventapane<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Violoncelle<\/a><\/figure>\n
Cello by Lorenzo Ventapane.
Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Auctions on 4 December 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The cello by Lorenzo Ventapane included in the Vichy Ench\u00e8res auction on 4 December 2025, was made circa 1810-1820, and thus joins a select group of authenticated instruments by this maker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This cello illustrates perfectly the unique character of his instrument making. As Jonathan Marolle puts it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe work of Lorenzo Ventapane has a truly individual style. His models are quite different from those used by the various members of the Gagliano family. You can see a certain similarity in the design of the f-holes with the instruments of Rafaelle and Antonio Gagliano, who were active at the same time. His work is primarily rooted in the Neapolitan tradition, distinguishable by its dry yellow varnish, its purfling (the whites of which are made of beech), and the typical way in which the fronts are pinned to the ribs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Jonathan Marolle, Vatelot-Rampal, Paris Luthier, specialist in string quartet instruments. Expert at the Paris Court of Appeal, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The instrument also bears a restoration label by Postiglione, who is himself an important figure in Neapolitan violin making at the end of the 19th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is also the case of one of the cellos preserved at the San Pietro a Majella<\/em> Conservatory in Naples, which also bears a restoration label from the same maker[1]<\/sup><\/a>. Postiglione was in charge of a large workshop from the 1880s onward, and could, according to Jonathan Marolle, have restored some of the instruments at the Conservatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the provenance of this instrument sheds an interesting light on its history: it came from the workshop contents of an Argentinian maker active in the second half of the 20th <\/sup>century. This attests to the widespread popularity of Neapolitan instruments, whose reputation extended as far as South America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Cautela, Gemma ; Starita, Lorella ; Sisto, Luigi (dirs.). Dal Segno al Suono. Il Conservatorio di Musica \u201cSan Pietro a Majella\u201d. Repertorio del patrimonio storico-artistico e degli strumenti musicali.<\/em> Naples : Arte-m, 2010<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This cello by Lorenzo Ventapane thus provides a rare opportunity to rediscover the craftsmanship of this 19th<\/sup>-century Neapolitan master. Don’t miss the sale of this remarkable instrument on 4 December 2025 at Vichy Ench\u00e8res!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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