Antonio Stradivari

"Antonio Stradivari" by Horace Petherick is a historical account written in the late 19th century. This work delves into the life and craftsmanship of the renowned violin maker Antonio Stradivari, exploring his influences, techniques, and the evolution of his distinctive designs. It offers readers insight into Stradivari's gradual development as a master liutaro and the factors that contributed to his lasting legacy in the world of music. The opening of the text introduces Stradivari's early life, including his birth in Cremona and his apprenticeship under the esteemed Nicolas Amati, a pivotal figure in his artistic development. Petherick emphasizes Stradivari's initial struggles and meticulous approach to creating violins, noting that his early works were marked by a steady pursuit of refinement rather than striking originality. He portrays Stradivari as a diligent craftsman who gradually carved out his own path, influenced by Amati but evolving into a master of his craft, ready to take on the challenges of establishing his distinct identity as a violin maker. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Horace William Petherick (1839-1919) was an artist and illustrator, a violin connoisseur, and a writer. As an artist, four of his works are in public collections in the UK; as an illustrator, he illustrated over 100 books, some of which are still in print, and his work can be found in digital collections at the British Library, the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, and the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature; as a violin connoisseur, he owned both a Stradivarius and a del Gesù; and as an author, three of his books are still in print.