A Rare Italian Viola By Vittorio Bellarosa, 1939. 413mm or 16 1/4.”

Neopolitan luthier Vittorio Bellarosa (1907-1978) was born to Riccardo Bellarosa, a violinist and lawyer who judged at several major competitions and become known as an expert connoisseur after having learned violin making in the Gagliano and Postiglione workshops. Vittorio first studied with his father before apprenticing with Vito Vitantonio in 1922 and at the age of 15. In 1925, he briefly emigrated to Mittenwald, Germany to pursue a diploma in violin making, but left for an opportunity in Rome, working for Rodolfo Fredi for the next several years. In the 1930’s he began a collaboration with Giovanni Pistucci which would continue until Pistucci passed in 1955, taking over his mentor’s workshop thereafter.

Vittorio Bellarosa’s work generally follows Gagliano patterns, so closely that many have been passed off as Gagliano family instruments. He is considered the last luthier in the unbroken line of the Naples School starting with Alessandro Gagliano (1665-1732). His instruments are inconsistently labeled, and briefly featured a distinctive double-seahorse stamp to the ribs between 1950 and 1954. They are highly desirable. He made 50 violins before the age of 20 and over 1,000 over his lifetime.