Raffaele FIORINI (Bologna 1828 – 1898) violin ca 1875-80. 

Despite his late start in violin making, Raffaele quickly gained recognition in the musical community of his time. His instruments are quite rare and they are often misunderstood and attributed to more famous makers. This violin exemplifies his distinctive style, which later his son Giuseppe emulated at the onset of his career. There are traces of mottling on the maple that the maker himself filled. Raffaele used a wood that he considered valuable so in spite of the woodworms, he filled in the moth marks with pieces of maple from the construction of the instrument. Nevertheless, this is a fine example of this maker’s work with exceptional sound quality in both volume and personality.