Born in 1703 in Monte di Malo, on the hills north of Vicenza, the family of Camillo Camilli progressively moved south, finally settling in the Mantua immediate outskirts. Although it is believed that Camilli may have trained as an apprentice of Antonio Zanotti, the considerably higher level of his early works compared to those of his hypothetical teacher leaves many questions open. Camilli may in fact have already been able to make good instruments before joining, in 1731, with Zanotti, who from that moment seems to have assumed a predominant role in the society they formed.
However, the collaboration was short-lived and from 1734 onwards Camillo Camilli remained the only violin maker active in Mantua for two decades, as Tommaso Balestrieri did not actually start his own career until a few years after his death.
Camilli, who died in 1754 at just over fifty years of age, was nevertheless a rather productive maker who made almost exclusively violins. His work is based on the style of Pietro Guarneri but is very recognizable and of a consistently fine quality; the model is round and small in size, with long and elegant corners and a carefully inlaid purfling. The head is also elegant and finely carved, recognizable by the eye slightly off-centered towards the lower volute, the second turn rather narrow, and the wide back of the peg-box. The varnish is usually amber-yellow in color and of a tough consistency.
