Giovanni Battista Ceruti

Giovanni Battista Ceruti, or Cerutti (21 November 1756, Sesto Cremonese — 3 April 1817, Cremona) was a prolific Italian luthier and maker of violins and other bowed stringed instruments. He was among the crucial followers of Lorenzo Storioni (1744—1816), who at the dawn of the XIX century re-established Cremona's reputation as the primary destination for Italian luthiery. Giambattista became a patriarch of the violin-making dynasty that ran for three generations, continued by his son, Giuseppe Antonio Ceruti (1785—1860), and grandson Enrico Ceruti (1806—1883). Born in Sesto, a small commune just north of Cremona, Ceruti worked as a weaver in his youth. Around 1785, he relocated to Cremona. Giambattista probably developed his interest in luthiery through Nicolò Antonio (1754—1832) and Carlo Antonio Lorenzo Bergonzi II (1757—1836). Grandsons of the legendary [url=/artist/16154553]Carlo Bergonzi[/url] (1683—1747) practiced different professions, but at least between 1787 and 1794, they certainly worked as instrument-makers and resided in the same neighborhood. Giambattista, meanwhile, took over ex-Storioni's residence in Contrada Coltellai.

In 1802, after Storioni retired (and possibly left Cremona), an aspiring luthier became the city's sole violin-maker. Italy's economic and political climate was harsh at the time, heavily affecting the quality of available materials; overall, efficient and almost "industrialized" German and Austrian instrument-makers dominated the European market. Ceruti didn't have any private patrons, either. (Unlike certain luthiers in other cities, such as [url=/artist/6684216]G.B. Guadagnini[/url] (1711—1786) in Turin or Giacomo Rivolta (1770—1844) in Milan, employed by Count Cozio di Salabue, who supplied the masters with premium wood and gave them access to his renowned collection of Strads and "del Gesus.") Despite this, Giambattista reportedly made over 500 violins, cellos, violas, and contrabasses in his career. Ceruti passed away at 61, most likely from typhus. Today, around a hundred of G. B. Ceruti's instruments survive. They aren't as valuable as works of the most renowned XVII-XVIII century Cremonese luthiers but still command outstanding prices at current auctions — violins, specifically, traded in the $118,500-259,000 range; the most expensive Ceruti's cello went for $92,300 in March 2008.

The luthier's label typically read Jo: Baptista Ceruti Cremonensis, fecit Cremona 18##. Most instruments were also branded with an emblem later adopted by Giambattista's successors: ​​encircled capital initials, "𝗚 𝗕 𝗖," surmounted by a Jerusalem cross ☩ (both on the label and occasionally impressed on the outer ribs).