Reference Library Makers

B. 1777, d. 1854, Turin

Probably a pupil of Alexandre D'Espine (1775- after 1846), he did much to secure the great tradition of violin making in Italy in the early nineteenth century. Following classical models with more controlled craftsmanship than his contemporaries and immediate predecessors, he made strong, well-engineered archings in combination with good models and richly coloured varnishes, albeit with varied application in strength and thickness. In the 1830s he had Giuseppe Rocca as an assistant, whose comparable talent helped produce even more refined work in that decade. Many instruments were subsequently made by other hands in Turin, notably Annibale Fagnola, often bearing Pressenda's label.