About the maker
Pietro Guarneri of Venice, who is often referred to as Peter of Venice, was an 18th century luthier who relocated to Venice from Cremona.
The history
Peter of Venice, son of Giuseppe filius Andreæ and brother of Giuseppe del Gesù, was born in Cremona in 1695. As the eldest son, he was intended to inherit his Father’s workshop following years of working as an apprentice. However, the Stradivari family’s established reputation throughout Cremona left little room for Pietro’s career to thrive. Pietro left to pursue further success and job security in Venice, first working at the shop of famed guitar maker Matteo Sellas.
A Venetian accent
Compared to other members of the Guarneri family, there are fewer instruments created by Pietro still surviving today, which are therefore highly revered and increasingly valuable. While he established his making skills in Cremona, and inherited the Guarneri focus on individualism, Venice impacted his visual language, bringing a Venetian accent to many of his works.
The reason is a mystery, but many of his works created in Venice still bare Cremonese labels.
