Gasparo da Salò, luthier of Brescia: quick facts
Gasparo da Salò was a pioneering maker of the Brescian school, working in the late 16th century around the same time the Amati family was establishing the Cremonese tradition. He made violins, violas, and larger instruments and is among the earliest documented violin makers, which gives his surviving work great historical importance. The Brescian school, continued by his pupil Giovanni Paolo Maggini, developed a robust style distinct from Cremona. Gasparo's instruments are rare and valued both as music makers and as artefacts from the formative years of the violin, predating the golden age of Stradivari by well over a century.
Sources: Tarisio — Cozio Archive of stringed instruments; Library of Congress — Stradivari instruments / Whittall Collection; W. Henry Hill, Arthur F. Hill & Alfred E. Hill — 'Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work (1644–1737)'; The Metropolitan Museum of Art — musical instruments collection. Educational information only — not financial, investment, or appraisal advice. See our sources & fact-check policy.