Born in Mantua in 1893, Oreste Martini was first trained as a musician, starting to play the double bass from a young age but, due to family vicissitudes, he was later forced to work as a mechanic. He came into contact with Stefano Scarampella, from whom he received the first rudiments of violin making, and as early as the 1920s we find him registered among the luthiers in the city of Mantua. After the First World War he alternated instrument making with several other professions, also staying in France, and only from the 1930s he was able to exercise lutherie with any continuity.
Martini's production, which included several dozen violins and violas, as well as numerous cellos and double basses (the instrument on which the luthier had trained as a musician) demonstrates a good level of workmanship. The models are typically Mantuan, even if Martini preferred a more refinished and accurate approach than Scarampella's spontaneous style. He used models derived from the latter and also from Guarneri del Gesù; the carving of the scroll recalls the style of his master and has a rather short termination of the eye on the volute. The varnish, often deep red in color, has a good consistency.
