Born in 1744, the year of Guarneri del Gesù's death, Lorenzo Storioni made instruments that are often inspired by the work of this maker, even though he could not benefit from the teaching of any of the luthiers of the previous generation. He was in contact with Vincenzo Rugeri's heirs, and also probably had access to Antonio Stradivari's workshop before its contents were sold to Count Cozio di Salabue. The Cremonese career of Lorenzo Storioni took place from the 1770s to the 1790s; during this period he had Giovanni Rota as an apprentice and later worked at the same address as Nicola Bergonzi. In the early years of the new century, Storioni left Cremona traveling east towards present-day Croatia, and from that moment there are no recorded instruments made by him.
The models of Storioni are freely inspired by the works of Guarneri del Gesù; they also echo the shape of their F-holes, that have a tilted positioning. The head, on the other hand, is personal, with a straight peg-box and a narrow and shallow throat, especially in his first instruments; the volute ends at the top of the eye, which is strongly rounded. The materials are often poor and of local origin, but his work is highly appreciated for its acoustic qualities.
