Lorenzo Ventapane

VENTAPANE, Lorenzo Born 1780, Worked Calata Borgo di Loreto, died 1843 Naples Italy. Nephew of Vincenzo Ventapane, below. Presumed pupil of Giovanni or Nicolo (II) Gagliano. Established in Calata Borgo di Loreto and from 1800 at 35 Strada Donnaregina, Naples. Work in the late Gagliano style. Good designs but unrefined workmanship. Arching of medium height, full to the edges. Fairly hard glossy golden or yellow-brown varnish. Beech purfling set in broad flat edges, the corners also broad but not cleanly formed. Soundholes quite widely set, but of good Stradivari form with small finial circles and broad but crudely fluted lower wings. Scrolls very quickly cut; usually quite crude. Materials generally of basic quality. Cellos particularly prized as well-proportioned and effective instruments. Scrolls have distinctively large and protruding eyes. Double basses and various plucked instruments also recorded. Lorenzo Ventapane / Fabbricante di strumenti armonici / Strada Donnaregina 35 / Napoli 18.. Lorenzo Ventapane / Strada Donnaregina No. 35 Napoli 1809 Lorenzo Ventapane / Fabbricante di Strumenti da Corde / Abita Calata Borgo di Loreto No 23

Er arbeitete oft recht gut im Stil der Gagliani und ahmte das Stradivari- Modell nach. Das Holz ist gewöhnlich schön, der Lack orangegelb, aber häufig nachgedunkelt. Auch seine Violoncelli sind gut. Seine Arbeiten stehen jetzt im Preise zwischen 500—1000 M. Auch ein Gius. V. kommt vor.

Probably son of Vincenzo, who, like himself, followed Stradivarius. His instruments possess a powerful tone, perhaps somewhat at the expense of the quality, but this may be largely due to the width of the body which is sometimes exaggerated.

Naples. 1809—1828. Developed, following the examples of Stradivari and Gagliano, a beautiful broad model. The wood is always fine, the varnish mostly dark yellow, sometimes also orange, the delicately cut sound-holes are placed in a slanting position. His work has the characteristics of the Neapolitan school, a little superficial; the tone, however, though lacking smoothness, is good and strong. His excellent varnish is transparent, with a touch of green. First-rate are his ‘cellos. Price 25.000 Kcs., ‘cello more.