Born in Cremona in 1623, Andrea Guarneri was undoubtedly the main apprentice and the most important prosecutor of the activity of Nicolò Amati. He lived with his teacher from 1641 to 1646 and, after an absence of four years, from about 1650 to 1654.
As in Nicolò Amati, his violins are based on two distinct models: one of smaller dimensions and the other derived from his master's Grand Pattern; compared to these, Andrea Guarneri's work is slightly less skilfully finished from a technical point of view, even if the best examples are very refined and at the same time show great personality: the purfling tips are usually strongly folded towards the inside of the C-bouts, and the head is based an original model that ends with an accentuated comma before reaching the central eye. Andrea Guarneri also developed the contralto viola model conceived within the Amati family into a form that is now considered one of the most successful in the history of violin making. His contribution to the development of the cello is also very important; breaking away from the large basses still predominant in Cremona, Andrea created instruments on a shorter model, but which were able to provide the necessary depth of sound through their widths of generous proportions.
During the second part of his career, Andrea Guarneri was assisted by his eldest son Pietro, whose hand becomes noticeable in several instruments from the 1670s before his move to Mantua, and by Giuseppe, who instead kept assisting his father until his death in 1698.
