Gaetano Pollastri

Life and Career

Bologna, the city where Gaetano Pollastri was born, had produced many outstanding violin makers. It was the center of the Emilia-Romagna region, where the art of violin making had developed into a distinct school of its own. This had come about after a period of great decline in the art of violin making that had affected all of Italy. In Bologna, the craft had managed to recover. As one of Europe’s oldest university cities, Bologna had always attracted young people, and culture was never far away. Partly because of this, in keeping with the optimistic spirit of the late nineteenth century, it was able to embark on a new era of vitality, driven by a belief in progress through science and technology. Musical life flourished once more, and the number of violin makers increased. The Emilian makers built upon the “classical period” but developed their own, more modern style. Raffaele Fiorini (1828–1898) was the founder of that new Emilian school. He served as an inspiration to many other, sometimes great, makers in the region. His workshop was located in the stately medieval Palazzo Pepoli Vecchio and was frequently visited by interested colleagues.

Gaetano Pollastri was born just outside the city walls as one of eight children in a destitute family. His father, Cesare Pollastri, was a farm laborer, and his mother, Celia Grandi, was a weaver. Augusto (1877–1927), the eldest of the family, had to help support the family from an early age and became an apprentice to Raffaele Fiorini. There, he proved to be one of his most promising students. When Cesare died in 1894, Fiorini took on a fatherly role; he helped Augusto wherever he could and trained him to become a violin maker. In Fiorini’s workshop, Augusto Pollastri met students who, like him, would later become important luthiers. Gaetano, whom Augusto had to care for after their father’s death, could often be found at Palazzo Pepoli Vecchio.

Augusto continued to work for Fiorini until his death in 1901. Although he had gradually taken over important responsibilities from Raffaele Fiorini, the studio was carried on after his death by his oldest employee and assistant, Armando Monterumici (1875–1936). Augusto left and started his own studio that same year.

Two years after Augusto started his own business, Gaetano became his apprentice. Gaetano also proved to be talented, and together they developed their own definitive model around 1906. Starting in 1910, they stamped their work with two “Pollastri”: two young roosters facing each other. That image would remain their trademark for the rest of their lives.

Most violin makers in Emilia-Romagna could not make a living from violin making alone; they had a second job. Gaetano’s career followed a similar path; he played the violin in various orchestras, and it was not until after World War I that he was able to make a living from building stringed instruments.

Gaetano married in 1924 and, a year later, had a son, Cesare, who would later become a doctor but would also devote himself to building stringed instruments and become Gaetano’s successor. When Augusto died in 1927, Gaetano continued on his own.

Shortly before Augusto’s death, they had submitted a violin together to an exhibition in Geneva. There, they received first prize for it. That event would prove significant, because Gaetano desperately needed that success when he was left to fend for himself. Thanks to this recognition, their client base remained virtually unchanged. In addition to building new instruments, both Augusto and Gaetano had devoted themselves to restoring old master violins. Because of the reputation they had established through this work, owners of high-quality instruments were able to find Gaetano Pollastri.

In the early 1930s, Gaetano’s workshop was struggling. The economic crisis took its toll, and in Bologna he had been forced to cede his prominent position to the young and energetic violin maker Ansaldo Poggi (1893–1984), who had come from the workshop of Fiorini’s son Giuseppe and had been winning gold medals in Rome every two years since 1923. Gaetano found himself forced to make a greater effort to promote his work. He began doing so in 1930 by building a violin bearing the papal coat of arms, which he presented to Pope Pius XI. This was a success, as it received a great deal of publicity. He then resumed participating in exhibitions, hoping to draw attention to himself through these as well. In 1949, he submitted two violins to Cremona and received a certificate of honor for them. He received a similar certificate in 1954 for the two instruments he submitted to the second National Violin-Making Competition in Rome. Finally, he exhibited violins in Ascoli Piceno and in Pegli.

Gaetano Pollastri proved not to be averse to competition. In 1959, he co-founded ANLAI, the association of Italian violin makers—an organization that united Italian violin makers but was primarily tasked with organizing major international violin-making competitions. In addition, Gaetano had long been concerned about the rise in counterfeits. United within ANLAI, the violin makers would be better able to defend themselves against this. Gaetano died in 1960, and his son Cesare took over his workshop—though not full-time, since in addition to managing the workshop, Cesare continued to practice his profession as an artist.

Work and Influence

Gaetano Pollastri’s early work cannot be viewed in isolation from that of his brother. The influence of Raffaele Fiorini is still unmistakably evident in it. Around 1910, Gaetano and Augusto seemed to have found a synthesis for their model, drawing on elements from various great classical Italian predecessors. Studies point to influences from Stradivari’s “Amatisé” models and, in terms of refinement, from that of Carlo Tonini.

The scrolls of their violins are deeply carved, and the back is made of beautiful maple wood, often from a single piece. The f-holes are positioned close to the edge. The edge finishing is elegant, with a slightly recessed edge inlay that gives the instrument a powerful silhouette. The deep central curve gives the instruments a slender appearance. The corners are rounded, and the curvature is relatively low. Over time, Gaetano replaced Augusto’s beautiful oil varnish with an alcohol-based varnish. This is said to have given his instruments a less deep luster.

The Pollastris enjoyed great popularity; technically flawless in construction and finished with a beautiful varnish, their instruments made a powerful impression. The way the scroll, the f-holes, and the edge inlays of Pollastri’s instruments are carved reveal a decisive and steady hand. After his brother’s death, Gaetano continued to use the model they had developed together, but softened the edges. The corners became slightly longer and slimmer.

As was customary in Bologna, Gaetano varnished his instruments with the fingerboard already glued on. As a result, the top remained unpolished underneath. His varnish resembled his brother’s, but he applied it more thinly. Later, he changed the composition of his varnish, which produced a slightly paler effect. In general, the wood he used is of excellent quality, both in terms of sound and appearance.

He usually applied the brand mark with the two roosters only to the rosette beneath the end pin, but sometimes he also placed it on the back plate. Gaetano built about 165 violins and only a few violas and cellos. In addition to the violin for Pope Pius XI, several other decorated violins by him are known to exist.

Gaetano had several students; the best known are Franco Albanelli, Otello Bignami, Cesare Pollastri, and Alberto Guerra.

The Gaetano Pollastri violin in the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund was built in 1953, one year before he received the national violin-making award in Rome. It is a fine example of the instruments Gaetano built during his prime.

Sources

Tarisio, The Cozio Archive; Gindin D. Augusto and Gaetano Pollastri. Bezocht in 2019.

Panorama of Modern Bolognese Violin Making: Influences and Relationships, 2002, The Scientific Committee "Il Suono di Bologna”, Bologna.

Versari A., 2002, Modern Violin Making in the Emilia-Romagna Region. Bologna.

Blot E., 2001, 1860-1960 - A century of Italian Violin Making - Emilia e Romagna, Cremona.

Vannes, R., 1985, Universal Dictionary of Instrument Makers. Brussels.

Brinser M., 1978 Dictionary of 20th Century Italian Violin Makers, Bologna - A living tradition of Violin Making, zp.