Omobono Felice Stradivari

History

Omobono Felice Stradivari (1679-1742) was born in Cremona, Italy, on November 14, 1679, and died in the same city on June 8, 1742. He was the son of Antonio Stradivari. His contribution to the family workshop appears to have been less significant than that of his older brother, Francesco Stradivari, whom he predeceased. Antonio Stradivari's will indicates Omobono's extended absence in Naples, likely around 1698. During this journey, he incurred a financial debt to his father, and his legacy from Antonio was primarily the absolution of this debt almost forty years after it was incurred, as noted by John Dilworth.

Omobono died a year before his brother Francesco. Upon Francesco's death, the family's shop in the Piazza San Domenico (now Piazza Roma) closed, marking the end of the Stradivari family's long and historic career in violin making, as described by George Hart. The shop was subsequently opened by Paolo Stradivari, a cloth merchant. The Stradivari family line continued through Paolo's son Antonio, and his grandson Giacomo, with Giacomo's son Cesare becoming a physician, leading to the present representative, Dr. Libero Stradivari, a barrister-at-law and amateur flutist.

Craft

• Workmanship: According to John Dilworth, authenticated instruments by Omobono Felice Stradivari are rare, including the 'Blagrove' of circa 1700, which bears a 'sotto la disciplina di Antonio' label. The outline of these instruments is relatively poorly managed, and the soundholes are described as spindly and slightly weak compared to the characteristic Stradivari model.
• Post-Father's Death: Of the work produced after his father's death, Dilworth notes that the purfling is relatively uneven and awkwardly managed in the corners. The soundholes are inconsistent but tend to be widely set and are almost del Gesù-like in the extension of the wings both upward and downward. The scroll is also unevenly balanced.
• Materials and Varnish: The varnish is of a paler golden-brown than the best 'golden period' examples and somewhat plain locally sourced 'oppio' maple is extensively used.
• Repair Work: George Hart and Cecie Stainer state that Omobono chiefly restored instruments and arranged and regulated them, making few new instruments.
• Conflicting Views on Craft: Karel Jalovec notes that the arching of his instruments (which the Hill Brothers consider fakes, despite bearing Omobono's name) is imperfect, the sound-holes are of no particular beauty, though the rather deep-cut scrolls are well done. The instruments are coated with a golden-yellow varnish of a quality inferior to that applied by his father and brother, and their tone does not meet the demands associated with the Stradivari name.
• Purfling Mitre: Henri Poidras highlights an important detail contrary to his father's models: the mitre of the purfling is directed away from the CC.

Influence

• Mentorship: Omobono Felice Stradivari worked under the direction of his father, Antonio Stradivari, and is generally stated to have been his pupil.
• Collaboration: He worked with his brother Francesco in his father's workshop, and after Antonio's death, they continued working together.

Legacy

• Conflicting Historical Accounts: Sources contain conflicting information regarding the extent of Omobono Felice Stradivari's direct involvement in violin making. The Hill Brothers, in their great work, stated they had never seen a violin by Omobono Stradivari, inferring he was not a violin maker at all. Karel Jalovec shares this view, noting that neither correspondence nor bequests mention any instruments by Omobono, despite these being reliable documents from a time when Stradivari's sons were alive.
• Family Continuity: With the deaths of Francesco and Omobono, the name Stradivari disappeared from the history of violin making, as no subsequent descendant of the master pursued the art of their great ancestor, as noted by Willibald Leo Lütgendorff. The family line continued in other professions, such as cloth merchandising and law.
• Market Value: Karel Jalovec mentions a price range of 120,000-150,000 Kc for instruments attributed to Omobono, considering it certainly exaggerated given their perceived quality.

Further Information

• Labels: Omobono Felice Stradivari used elegantly written labels, which are traceable only after Antonio's death. Examples include 'sotto la disciplina di Antonio / Stradivario fecit Cremona' and 'Omobono Stradiuarius Filius Antonij / Cremone Fecit 1740: oTs' (Rosengard & Chiesa). Another label mentioned is 'Omobonus Stradiuarius filius Antonii Cremonae fecit, anno 1740'.
• Workshop Location: The family workshop was located in the Piazza San Domenico, now known as Piazza Roma, in Cremona.

Summary

Omobono Felice Stradivari (1679-1742) was the younger son of the renowned luthier Antonio Stradivari, born and died in Cremona. He worked in his father's workshop alongside his brother Francesco, and is generally considered to have been a pupil of Antonio. While some authenticated instruments exist, such as the 'Blagrove' of circa 1700, bearing a 'sotto la disciplina di Antonio' label, sources contain conflicting information regarding the extent of his direct involvement in violin making. The Hill Brothers and Karel Jalovec expressed skepticism, noting a lack of mention of his instruments in family records and describing his work as inferior to his father's, often focusing on repair rather than new construction. Characteristics of his attributed instruments include poorly managed outlines, spindly soundholes, uneven purfling, and a paler golden-brown varnish. With his death and that of his brother Francesco, the direct lineage of Stradivari violin makers concluded.