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Pietro Guarneri

(b Cremona, 14 April 1695; d Venice, 7 April 1762). Son of (3) Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri. He was known as ‘Pietro di Venezia’ to distinguish him from his uncle. In the second decade of the 18th century the Guarneri family suffered numerous setbacks, and Pietro left home for good, arriving in Venice in December 1717. There he found a rich musical environment, and although he was at first restricted by the laws of the guilds, he soon found that there was plenty of room for one with his Cremonese background.

It is interesting to observe how Venetian his work became in style in spite of his father’s training, literally a blending of the two schools. When he arrived, the chief makers in Venice were Matteo Goffriller, Domenico Montagnana and Carlo Tononi, and Pietro may have obtained work with either of the latter two. In any case, his first original labels from Venice date from around 1730, and no-one can be sure how the earlier years there were spent. By 1740 his success rivalled that of Montagnana and Sanctus Seraphin, but after 1750 he slowed down and his inspiration waned.

His instruments are rare, and at least as highly prized as those of his father and uncle. Among the marked characteristics of his work are the broad scroll, with prominent gouge-marks in the volute, and a flamboyant Venetian swing to the soundholes. His cellos are particularly successful, though few survive: Beatrice Harrison used one of them.