Paolo Antonio Testore

Paolo Antonio Testore (c. 1690 — 1767) was an Italian luthier from Milan, the second son of Carlo Giuseppe Testore. He apprenticed with his father and worked from their family workshop on Contrada Larga with his brother Carlo Antonio. Paolo Antonio's instruments are significantly inferior in design and build quality to other Testores. He was inconsistent in model design and arching, often carved partly fluted scrolls, and didn't purfle. Paolo mostly worked with the wood of inferior quality, sometimes assembled from scraps and off-cuts; the varnish was dull and opaque-ish, not consistent or appealing in color. Such decline in craftsmanship was characteristic of Milanese luthiers in the mid-XVIII century, as most struggled to keep their businesses afloat. Only after 1749, when G.B. Guadagnini arrived in Milan and spearheaded the revival of exemplary standards and high-quality varnishes, did the industry begin to blossom again in this area. In later years, Testore likely employed and mentored Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi. Notable musicians who played P.A. Testore's instruments include Paul Bresciani, principal bassist of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.