Vincenzo Gagliano & Figlio

at £1400 including free UK delivery
 

About Mandolin:
 

Round-back Neapolitan Mandolin labelled Vincenzo Gagliano & Figlio, Casa fondata nel 1700, Fabrica di Corde Armoniche e Strumenti da Corde, 48 Strada Monteoliveto, Napoli. As mentioned below articles, Vincenzo was mainly involved in producing strings and cellos therefore Mandolin would have been made by his co- workers or acquired from other luthier specializing in producing this type of instruments which would then be sold at Gaglianos workshop or perhaps made by his predecessors Antonio or Raffaele who also did make few Mandolins. Original label of maker is present but almost entirely covered by Vincenzo's therefore not possible to establish who's it was. Date of make may be estimated between late 1870 to early 1880s.

Mandolin itself was made in a very common style for that period with back made of 25 rosewood ribs, finished with a strip of tulip-wood around sides and clasp. Soundboard made of fine close-grained spruce with tortoiseshell pick-guard and sound-hole decorated with Mother of Pearl and wooden purfling strips, edging finished with interchanging pattern of M.O.P. and tortoiseshell bits. Headstock has side slotted tuners which was probably more common on mandolins form late 18th c. as was thicker round neck shape. Neck and head would have been made of maple covered with rosewood veneer.

Restoration work included: replacing fretboard and frets to allow good set up with action set to as low as 1.5mm at 12th fret over treble side and 1.8mm over bass side. New bridge has been made in style of those found on higher models but with modern style saddle allowing to set compensation for G and A strings to improve intonation.

Headstock had many chips and small bits of wood missing, now all filled in and shape brought back to original. Tuners were quite rusty so needed a good clean to get them working smoothly again.

Soundboard was mainly intact with only a shrinkage split in the middle, here spruce joint slat glued from underneath is still in place and holding well, split has been filled using a spruce strip.

Finish on soundboard was gone so after a gentle clean it has been re-finished using light coat of shellac. All missing pieces of M.O.P. replaced around edging.

Bowl had few splits between ribs and some ribs broken near clasp, all carefully glued back together and no longer a structural issue. Here original finish was only lightly cleaned and covered with thin layer of shellac to revive wood grain. Finish on neck and head was replaced also with shellac.

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Mandolin is fitted with premium set of strings - Optima Goldin, Specially Polished 2125.

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Included in price also are, new wooden hard shell Gewa case and a spare set of Optima 2125 strings (same as currently fitted).

 

Sound sample to follow shortly, should you need more detailed photos please request so via contact form.
 

Soundboard – Solid Spruce with tortoiseshell pick-guard and M.O.P. inlay

Bowl – 25 rosewood ribs and tulip-wood sides

Neck – Maple with rosewood veneer

Fretboard – New Rosewood with MOP inlay

Nut – New bone

Bridge – New rosewood with bone saddle

Frets – 17 Japanese Nickel silver1.1mm crown width

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Approximate measurements are as follows:

- total length 58cm - body width 19.7cm - body depth 14.8mm

- from nut fret to 12th fret 165mm (total scale length 330mm)

- Neck width at nut is 27.60 mm, at body merge 36.8mm

About maker:
 

Vincenzo Gagliano (c.1820 – 1886) Son of Raffaele and the last of the Gagliano dynasty, Vincenzo joined the workshop of Raffaele and Antonio Gagliano some years before their respective deaths in 1857 and 1860. His hand is evident in the brothers’ final instruments, especially the cellos. He went on to inherit the workshop but, despite his talent as a maker, was unable to sustain the momentum of the business. Few instruments still bear his original labels today, many having acquired the labels of his predecessors.

 

An interesting and insightful article found in “Amadeus – Book of the violin”
 

"Violin making in Naples also developed relatively late, founded by members of the Gagliano dynasty. A romantic tale tells how the excellent violin and mandolin player Alessandro Gagliano (b. ca. 1660, d. 1725 in Naples) came to be a luthier. A member of a noble family, he had killed his opponent in a duel and had to flee. He hid in the forests, during which period he experimented with making instruments. Recognizing his gift for this, he apprenticed himself to Nicolò Amati and later to Antonio Stradivari. He returned to Naples in 1695. His violins, violas, and cellos have a beautiful tone, though craftsmanship and varnish are not always first-rate. On his labels he refers to himself as a pupil of Stradivari. Talent for violin making often seems to have been inherited, so that many dynasties of luthiers emerged. Heredity, constant involvement with the field, and experience gained while young, these were important prerequisites for excellence. The most remarkable example of such continuity is the Gagliano family in Naples. It can be traced back to Alessandro Gagliano (b. ca. 1660), whose offspring are still active participants in violin making. Their family tree includes six generations of luthiers, including the present firm of Vincenzo Gagliano e Figlio. It is not enough to own a Gagliano; now one must know the maker's first name! That, however, is often difficult if the original label no longer exists. Moreover, many instruments were built cooperatively by workers in the same shop. Outstanding members of the family (as reflected in current prices for their violins) were Nicola I and Gennaro, but the high level of workmanship carried over to the next generation. Gradually, however, industrial methods Genealogy of the Gagliano Family of Luthiers were introduced. Giuseppe and Antonio I often worked separately, but labels in the violins they sold read "Joseph et Antonius / Gagliani filii Nicolaj et Nepotesjanuarj F. Neap. 17." Instruments produced by members of the fourth generation, while still retaining characteristics of the family, were labeled "Fabbrica di Violini, ed altri strumenti / armonici dei Fratelli Giuseppe / ed Antonio Gagliano Napoli 18 / Strada Cerriglio num. 37."
Members of the Neapolitan Vinaccia family were mostly active in the second half of the eighteenth century. Instruments by Gennaro Vinaccia (d. 1778) are most highly regarded. Aside from these reasons for the supposed decline in Italian instrument making, we can point to the appearance of highly skilled violin makers in other European countries, and to the growing demand for inexpensive instruments, especially for beginners. Increasingly, a builder's time was needed for making repairs. Thus Pietro Giovanni Mantegazza (d. 1796 in Milan) made few new violins but was much in demand for working on those of del Gesù. Henley says that late in life Antonio (d. 1860) and Raffaele Gagliano (d. 1857), two highly talented brothers, "stooped" to making violins on a commercial basis, "for the sake of money. They neglected their talent and uncritically manufactured instruments of all degrees of quality." This censure may sound very high-minded from our vantage point, but the criticism is unjustified given the reality of the market ca. 1750"