Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Gesù was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri house of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his instruments, and he has been called the finest violin maker of the Amati line.Instruments made by Guarneri are often referred to as Josephs or del Gesùs. Giuseppe is known as del Gesù because his labels incorporated the nomina sacra, I.H.S. (iota-eta-sigma) and a Roman Cross.
His instruments diverged significantly from family tradition, becoming uniquely his own style. They are considered second in quality only to those of Stradivari but are also claimed by some to be superior.
Guarneri's violins often have a darker, more robust, more sonorous tone than Stradivari's. Less than 200 of Guarneri's instruments survive.
They are all violins, although one cello bearing his father's label, dated 1730, seems to have been completed by Del Gesù.
The most illustrious member of the House of Guarneri, Bartolomeo was the son of Giuseppe Giovanni Battista, thus the grandson of Andrea Guarneri, both noted violin makers themselves. Andrea learned his trade as an apprentice of Nicolò Amati, to whom Stradivari was also apprenticed. Undoubtedly Del Gesù learned the craft of violinmaking in his father's shop. Del Gesù's unique style has been widely copied by luthiers since the 19th century.
Guarneri's career is a great contrast to that of Stradivari, who was stylistically consistent, very careful about craftsmanship and finish, and evolved the design of his instruments in a deliberate way over seven decades.
Guarneri's career was short, from the late 1720s until his death in 1744.
He was evidently a man of restless creativity, judging by his constant experimentation with f-holes, arching, thicknesses of the top and back and other design details. From the 1720s until about 1737, his work is quick and accurate, although he was not obsessed with quality of finish per se. However, from the late 1730s until his death, his work shows increasing haste and lack of patience with the time needed to achieve a high quality finish.
Some of his late violins circa 1742-1744 are actually quite amazing to look at. The scrolls can be crudely carved, the purfling hastily inserted, the f-holes unsymmetrical and jagged. Nonetheless, many of these late violins, in spite of the seeming haste and carelessness of their construction, possess a glorious tone and have been much coveted by soloists.
The picture that emerges from his life's work is of a luthier who was interested above all in a strong tone of excellent quality, and worked consistently toward this end. Accomplished violinists such as Joseph Joachim, Henri Vieuxtemps, Eugène Ysaÿe, Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern, Leonid Kogan, Henryk Szeryng, Itzhak Perlman, Gidon Kremer, Pinchas Zukerman, Michael Rabin, Bartek Niziol, Marie Soldat, Maud Powell, Rachel Barton Pine, Richard Tognetti, Midori, Nigel Kennedy, Elmar Oliveira, Kyung-wha Chung, Ruth Palmer and Sarah Chang have used Guarneri del Gesù violins at one point in their career or even exclusively. Virtuoso Niccolò Paganini's favorite violin, Il Cannone Guarnerius of 1743, and the Lord Wilton of 1742, once owned by Yehudi Menuhin, are del Gesù instruments.
In addition, the Vieuxtemps Guarneri--once owned by Henri Vieuxtemps--has been offered for sale at a price of $18 million, which would make it the most expensive instrument in the world. Jascha Heifetz owned a c1742 Del Gesù from the 1920s until his death in 1987. It was his favorite instrument, even though he owned several Stradivaris.
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