1927 Violin made by Riccardo Genovese in Lecco sold for €32K

Lutier Riccardo Genovese lived in Lecco at Lake Como between 1927 and 1928 where he made some of today’s most sought after violins.

Going, Going Gone!

On April 17,2019, the gavel at Il Ponte auction house in Milan pounded at €32,500 for a handcrafted violin produced in Lecco in 1927 by violin maker Riccardo Genovese.

Riccardo Genovese, Violin maker (1883 – 1935)

Around 1922, at the age of 30, Riccardo Genovese transformed his passion of violin making into a serious career. His early work was done at the reknowed Fagnola workshop of Annibale Fagnola in Turin.

Genovese moved to the hamlet of Pescarenico in Lecco and later to Via Ghizlanzoni during 1927-1928. Here, he made and sold his instruments before returning to his hometown of Montiglio (province of Asti in Piemonte) in 1929.

He favored the Pressenda model which was also used by Fagnola. He was known for his signiture methods of construction, including holes in the upper and lower blocks fixed with wooden pins and a dry, often reddish varnish.

Image: Lot 496 , Violin by Riccardo Genovese 1927 sold for €32,500 at Il Ponte auction house in Milan April 17, 2019.