The Girolamo Amati

This rare instrument, one of the first contralto violas of modern proportions made by the great Cremonese masters, is one of the most precious gems preserved in the Galleria Estense in Modena. The fact that this Amati viola has remained almost undisturbed for almost four centuries allows you to admire an instrument in unchanged conservation conditions, if not for minor modifications to the set up made at the end of the 18th century which have however preserved the original neck.

After almost four centuries, this rare instrument may be admired and examined in its exceptional purity thanks to photographs by Jan Röhrmann, the micro CT scans analyses performed by the Vienna Micro CT-Lab, and the varnish stratigraphic studies conducted by Brigitte Brandmair.

Edizioni Scrollavezza & Zanrè (2015), edited by Andrea Zanrè

Photos by Jan Röhrmann

Essays: Brigitte Brandmair, Carlo Chiesa, Davide Gasparotto, Alberto Giordano, Rudolf Hopfner, Peter Ratcliff, Andrea Zanrè

56 pages in 45,7 by 28,5 cm format

800 copies, texts in English

DVD with multimedia contents and sound recording

“All the mass of data is presented beautifully, with great clarity, sensitivity and appreciation of the subject. Every page is filled with stunning visual imagery (…) It is a revelation”

John Dilworth, The Strad - June 2015