Italy's State Library of Cremona Presents New Collection on String Instruments

The exhibition from November 6–13, 2024, will feature Count Cozio di Salabue’s writings and drawings on the work of makers including Guarneri and Amati

Titled “The Visual Heritage: Masterpieces in the Correspondence of Cozio di Salabue,” the latest event at the State Library of Cremona features an exhibition of documents significant to the future of violin making. 

Conceived and designed by the luthier Luca Bastiani, the collection displays drawings, labels, forms, and documents from the Cozio di Salabue Fund. 

The collection comprises the manuscripts and correspondence of Count Cozio di Salabue (1775-1840), a collector and dealer of stringed instruments, including those crafted by Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri. 

Notably, Count Cozio negotiated with the heirs of the Cremonese violin maker Antonio Stradivari, during which he obtained over 10 violins, other unfinished instruments, and the forms, molds, and tools that remained in Stradivari’s workshop after his passing.

The inventory and paper catalog of the Cozio manuscripts are divided into three sections, including autograph manuscripts, papers by various authors found in the Count’s archive, plus books and letters from the beginning of the 20th century, that can trace the collection’s eventual arrival in Cremona.

The Cozio collection was deposited at the State Library of Cremona in the 1970s, after spending several decades at the local Civic Museum, to which it had been donated by the Bolognese violin maker Giuseppe Fiorini in 1930 following the death of the Count.

For further information, click here.