Giovanni Battista Guadagnini worked over a period of forty-four years in five different towns and is considered the greatest violin maker of the mid- to late-18th century. This important violin dates from 1744 and was made while Guadagnini was working in Piacenza, the town of his birth. The characteristic choice of handsome spruce and maple, as well as the orange-red varnish, make this violin a highly representative example of Guadagnini’s early period. Its delicate features and fine workmanship make it stand out amongst instruments from this era. It has a highly complex and nuanced sound that enables a player to choose from a palette of colours whilst projecting to the back of a hall. This instrument is suitable for a soloist as well as a chamber musician with the highest expectations.