Felice Mori was born in 1753 in Basilicagoiano, a village south of Parma. He served for a long time with the army stationed in the city and it was probably only after leaving this position, in 1805, that he was able to focus on violin making with greater continuity. In any case, he was also active as a musician, and probably in the production of strings, in association with a Costa family of which Felice Mori inherited, together with the workshop, also the name.
Mori Costa's instruments are very rare; although he probably did not have direct contact with Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, many features of his work recall his better-known predecessor. The positioning of Mori Costa's soundholes is typical, converging to the bottom, with notches cut only in the upper surface of the top; the model, the corners and the edges are quite refined in their execution, just as the varnish is often of a high quality; his heads are sculpted with determination and personality.
