Antonio Pellizon 1800 16.5″ Viola

This is a beautiful Italian viola with an appraisal from Jacques Francais.

Antonio Pelizon (also “Pellizon”, b.1763, d.1850) was born in the Gorizia province of Italy and is the first in what became a family of violin makers. Gorizia was a center of music, carpentry, and general artisanry and offered the ideal environment for a budding luthier. Pelizon drew influence from Stradivari and Amati while incorporating a personal flair into his instruments. He is a well-regarded maker of the Northern Italian school, and Pelizon and his four sons – Giuseppe Francesco, Antonio Vincenzo Giuseppe, Carlo, and Filippo – helped Gorizia gain its reputation as a source of fine violas and violins. His sons succeeded him and carried on in the trade.

As with other known models, this viola displays unpretentious but highly accurate workmanship. The warm, golden-hued varnish shows up patterning in the spruce and maple and the piece is in impressive condition. This viola boasts sonority, depth, and a power that any accomplished musician will recognize and appreciate.