A 16th-century violin made by the founding father of the violin family is on display in the Violin Makers of Cremona exhibit
A rare 16th-century violin by Andrea Amati is now on permanent display in the Violin Makers of Cremona exhibit in MIM’s Europe Gallery. MIM acquired the historic violin in 2023 and debuted it as a featured instrument in the 2024–2025 special exhibition Stradivarius and the Golden Age of Violins and Guitars.
Andrea Amati was the patriarch of four generations of violin makers and is renowned as the founding father of violin making in Cremona, Italy. He unified and standardized the violin family, and the consistent, repeatable construction process he pioneered helped lay the foundation for Cremona’s violin-making legacy. The violin’s form remains essentially unchanged since Amati conceived it in the mid-16th century, and his form and construction method are still used by violin makers today.
Violin, Andrea Amati, Cremona, Italy, c. 1560s
MIM’s Amati violin was made in the 1560s from maple, spruce, ebony, and rosewood. It is one of only 23 documented Andrea Amati instruments that survive today.
“This violin is phenomenal,” says Matthew Zeller, curator for Europe. “Andrea Amati is a monumentally significant maker, and we are excited to share this rarefied history with our guests.”
In the Violin Makers of Cremona exhibit, guests can see this remarkable violin in a workshop setting similar to the environment in which Amati would have built his instruments. The exhibit gives guests an insider’s look at violin-making tools, disassembled violin parts, and a selection of adhesives, resins, and colorants used to join and finish violins.
Andrea Amati violin: MIM Collection, Gift of the Robert J. Ulrich and Diane Sillik Fund
