Pietro Giovanni Mantegazza

Pietro Giovanni Mantegazza, or Petrus Joannes Mantegatia (c. 1738 — Mar 1803) was a distinguished Italian luthier & violinmaker from Milan, often considered one of the most prolific regional makers of the era. Mantegazza was born in Milan and likely learned luthiery while apprenticing at Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi's workshop. Several of Pietro Giovanni's surviving labels, from 1750 till 1770, suggest he might've worked together with one or more brothers, as they read "Pietro Giovanni & Mantegazza brothers" in Latin or Italian. Additionally, Count Cozio di Salabue (1755–1840), an avid violin collector who had a prosperous and lengthy partnership with Mantegazzas, explicitly addressed his correspondence to "fratelli Pietro and Domenico," or brothers Pietro & Domenico Mantegazza, as late as 1776. In attempting to identify Pietro Giovanni's purported siblings, earlier researchers only further muddied the waters with their erroneous attributions. Italian musicologist Giovanni De Piccolellis (1839—1928), for instance, accidentally placed the comma between Mantegazza's first and middle names — thus giving life to Pietro and Giovanni (1760–1790) as two separate makers. Further on, Leandro Bisiach Jr. (1904–1982) uncovered namesake family in Milan state archives, suggesting Carlo (b. 1735, active c.1760) and Francesco (1736/46–1790) as the luthier's brothers. The unverified information was accumulated in classic luthiery reference literature, such as Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart ("The violin and lutemakers from Middle Ages to the present") by German art historian Willibald L.F. von Lütgendorff-Leinburg (1856–1937), or Karel Jalovec's Italian violin makers. To this day, the identity or even existence of any other Mantegazza brothers remains unknown. In 1761, the same year he got married, Pietro Giovanni opened the workshop in Milan on Contrada Santa Margherita, under the "Angel sign" (segno dell' Angelo). Mantegazza soon became one of the most accomplished violinmakers in the city. Today, his operation is considered one of the first in history to offer a full range of services expected from any modern violin shop: making new and restoring old instruments, repairing, servicing, giving appraisals, etc. Surpassing his teacher's style, Pietro Giovanni developed an original, larger violin model, perhaps directly inspired by Nicolo Amati. The luthier used high-quality wood and particularly resinous varnish, which darkened significantly over time. Since the late 1770s, Mantegazza established a long and fortunate relationship with Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue, who just ceased working with his initial protege and trusted luthier, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini. Cozio subsequently turned to Pietro Giovanni for expert advice and access to the market through his workshop, supplying Mantegazza with commissions for new instruments and the bulk of his repair orders. Around 1790, Pietro Giovanni Mantegazza began a series of excellent violas in the style of Amati. His workshop now operated under the new "Three violins" banner ( all'insegna dei 3 violini). Pietro Giovanni died in Milan, leaving his sons in charge of the family operation. Mantegazza had four children, and two of his sons became luthiers, assisting Pietro Giovanni at the workshop since the mid-1770s and continuing to work extensively with Count Cozio after he passed away: Francesco Mantegazza (29th July 1762 — 9th Nov 1824), the firstborn son. Antonio Mantegazza (1766 — 11th Jan 1790), the second son, passed away at twenty-four, and it's unclear whether he was involved in luthiery. Carlo Mantegazza (16th Aug 1772 — 29th Jan 1814) frequently appeared in "Carteggio" (collection of Cozio's extensive correspondence and memoirs) as an unsurpassed restorer and modernizer of historical instruments, including the unfinished G.B. Guadagnini's stock.