This Italian Neapolitan violin by Raffaele Calace is a full-blooded Italian Instrument with a warm, large, Italian sound dating back to 1895 its maker was a liutaio in every sense of the word, since the term describes someone who crafts both violins and lutes.
Like many other southern Italian ateliers, Raffaele Calace’s workshop had stayed in the family for over three generations and earned itself an outstanding reputation for its lutes and mandolins. Raffaele Calace himself won 11 gold medals and 8 silvers, in addition to numerous other awards for his instruments.
To this day, he remains a well-established figure in the world of plucked instruments, known as a virtuoso, composer and innovative designer of new kinds of mandolins, whereas the string instruments from his atelier are best known amongst a select group of well-informed aficionados– despite the fact that his clients included excellent musicians such as Fritz Kreisler.
