One of the most important Italian luthiers of the twentieth century, Ferdinando Garimberti was born in 1894 in Mamiano di Traversetolo, on the hills south of Parma, but moved with his family to Milan during his childhood. From an early age, the future violin maker had worked as a carpenter and blacksmith to help support his humble family. In 1912 he met Romeo Antoniazzi; the latter introduced him to violin making, which exercised a great fascination on Garimberti, and also introduced him to his brother Riccardo, who however was destined to die shortly thereafter. In the following period Garimberti began to work for the atelier of Leandro Bisiach and for Giuseppe Pedrazzini and, after the break imposed by the First World War, he resumed contact with these two renowned workshops, for which he made single pieces of instruments for a rather low salary. Undoubtedly, however, Garimberti's main stylistic reference during the 1920s and 1930s was Giuseppe Ornati.
His style, initially very similar to that of the more mature master, in the following years evolved into more decisive and vigorous forms, taking inspiration, more than from the Stradivari "Amatisé" models favored by Ornati, from the subsequent instruments after 1710: masculine scrolls, more robust corners, but with a careful and refined workmanship, perfectly in line with the Milanese tradition and its characteristic elegance. Awarded in several competitions, Garimberti acquired a prestigious reputation and was also involved in the purchase of Antonio Stradivari's famous "Cremonese" violin, as well as being called to teach in master classes at the Cremona School of violin making.
