Celestino Farotto 16.5" viola, 1969, Milano, Warren certificate | Metzler Violins

resonant, sizzly, soulful

About the Instrument
This viola has a lovely, soulful sound, simultaneously resonant and with a sizzly bite. The instrument has an auburn varnish applied over a golden ground. The back is of largely plain quarter-cut maple, with a light medium flame falling from the center joint. The ribs and scroll are of a much more highly flamed wood. This instrument has a wider purfling margin, with elongated, thin f-holes emulating those of Giovanni Francesco Pressenda. The sale of this viola includes a Kenneth Warren & Son Certificate.

Interior label reads: “Cav. Uff. Celestino Farotto / Fece in Milano l’anno 1969” and bears the maker’s signature.
Length: 418 mm (16 1/2”)
Upper Bouts: 197 mm
Middle: 132 mm
Lower Bouts: 241 mm

About the Maker
Celestino Farotto (1905-1988) was born in Milan, Italy, the son of the violin maker Salvatore Farotti and nephew of the master luthier Celeste Farotti. Farotto reclaimed the family surname previously lost to a clerical error, studying under his uncle Celeste’s in the latter’s atelier before beginning his own career as a luthier. Farotto worked under his father and uncle in his uncle’s Milan workshop, often emulating Celeste Farotti’s refined style, often using the elder Farotti’s labels. After an accident while on a trip in the mountains in 1924, his uncle could no longer work, at which point Farotto took over Celeste Farotti’s shop. Upon Celeste and Salvatore’s deaths, Farotto began to expand his craft and experimenting with characteristics of his own creation, and by the 1940s his instruments had signature softness, including wider purfling margins. Yet Farotto’s pieces were often modeled on those of his uncle, as well as Stradivari and Pressenda. Farotto earned recognition for his work in awards, including Silver Medal for Cello at the Cremonese exhibition in 1949, as well as accolades in luthier competitions in Rome, Padua, and Pegli from 1927 to 1970.