Ferdinando Gagliano

Ferdinando Gagliano (1738—1804) was an Italian luthier and maker of stringed instruments from Naples, firstborn-son of Nicola Gagliano (c. 1710–1787) and elder brother of Giuseppe and Antonio Gagliano. Ferdinando likely apprenticed with his uncle Gennaro, and around the 1780s, operated the Gagliano family workshop. He signed the instruments Ferdinandus Gagliano Filius Nicolai fecit Neap. With a career spanning from 1750 till 1795, Ferdinando produced a vast and diverse range of instruments, from clearly "budget" models (made of cheaper wood) to the most sophisticated, artistic builds—even several "inlaid" violins with intricately carved decorations. Ferdinando Gagliano generally followed his father's and uncle's designs in formation years, gradually developing more personal, distinct style. His later violins are less arched, with tinier, tightly-wound scrolls, F-holes carved with an upper "wing" pointing downwards, and the lower bouts would sometimes look slightly "awkward," with the distinct transition from the outward curve to concave corner lines. Ferdinando's varnish, typically warmer and richer in color, notably differed from his family's "standardized" formulation. In 1774, Ferdinando Gagliano built a guitar widely regarded as the first "modern" single-stringed variant. It had five strings, inlaid brass frets, an elongated neck (fretboard meets the body at the 11th fret), and pegged bridge. Besides the 5-string configuration, Gagliano's guitar almost precisely matched the early Romantic era instruments. Among surviving "quartet instruments," primarily violins, there are at least six violas, three cellos, and one viola d'amore. At current auctions, Ferdinandus Gagliano violins and violas are praised and sought-after, with exemplary instruments traded in the $108,000-222,000 range.