Born near Ascoli Piceno in 1746, Giuseppe Odoardi's origins can be traced back to a typically farming environment, although we know that his father was already active in woodworking, a profession to which Giuseppe was also introduced. His training as a luthier therefore took place as a self-taught, even if over the years he was able to earn a good reputation amongst professional musicians and outside his region as well. Apparently his production was quite abundant despite the fact that he died at around forty years of age.
Often small in size, his violins are modeled with an inspiration to the style of the Amatis; sometimes they follow more personal patterns and the F-holes show a clear influence of Stainer's work, which was highly regarded in central Italy. This Tyrolean influence is also found in the scrolls, which often have a long and curved peg-box, surmounted by a small volute projecting forward and ending in an eye emphasized by a characteristic "comma". The white of the purfling, in a bright yellow hard-wood, perhaps boxwood, is also easily recognizable, together with the exaggeratedly long bee-stings of the black strips.
