Federico (Friedrich) Goldnagl

Friedrich Goldnagl was born in 1938. At a young age, he began an apprenticeship with the famous Italian violin maker Gaetano Sgarabotto—who, in turn, had learned the craft from Riccardo Antoniazzi and Leandro Bisiach. He continued his studies at the renowned violin-making school in Cremona, graduating in 1965. He then opened his own workshop in Vienna. Later in his career, he became the chief restorer at a workshop in Florence. Partly because of his Italian training, he referred to himself as “Federico” rather than “Friedrich” on the labels of his instruments.