A Violin by Leandro Bisiach

History of the Instrument

A trained violinist, Leandro Bisiach was an adept craftsman and a keen businessman who would go on to lead the most prolific and influential workshops in Italy in the early 20th century. He trained under Riccardo Antoniazzi, connecting his heritage as a maker back through the only surviving thread to the Golden Age of Cremona. By the end of the 18th century, only the Ceruti family remained. It was the Antoniazzi family that trained with Enrico Ceruti, thereby undertaking the scant knowledge retained from the oblivion of this great era of violin making to Milan.

Over the years, Leandro Bisiach employed numerous makers, including Gaetano and Romeo Antoniazzi, Gaetano Sgarabotto, Ferdinando Garimberti, Iginio Sderci, Giuseppe Ornati, and his sons Andrea, Giacomo, Carlo, and Leandro II. His influence on an entire generation of Italian violin makers cannot be underestimated, and that influence still reverberates today.

This violin is truly exceptional in every way, reflecting the maker's best work from his most desirable period. Bisiach violins have been favorites among collectors and violinists, including Nathan Milstein in the past. This example, a mint-condition copy of a Golden Period Stradivari, is no exception.