Amati > Makers Archive > Giuseppe ROCCA

Giuseppe ROCCA

Auction price history

Highest auction price

£210,500

Type Details Sold Price
Violin 35.8 cm Turin, 1855 c. [Possibly by] Wed 1st June 2011 £24,000
Violin 35.6 cm [Ascribed to] Sun 1st May 2011 £27,313
Violin 35.8 cm 19th C. [Attributed to] Tue 1st March 2011 £31,250
Violin 35.4 cm Turin, 1850 Fri 1st October 2010 £169,250
Violin 35.4 cm Turin, 1832 c. [Ascribed to & possibly by] Thu 1st April 2010 £82,488
Violin 35.5 cm Turin, 1855 c. Fri 1st May 2009 £112,579
Violin 35.8 cm 19th C. [Attributed to] Sun 1st March 2009 £30,000
Violin 36.1 cm 1860 c. [Attributed to] Sat 1st November 2008 £24,000
Violin 35.4 cm Turin, 1850 c. Wed 1st October 2008 £145,000
Violin 35.7 cm Probably Turin, [Attributed to] Thu 1st May 2008 £13,770
Violin 35.9 cm Italy 19th C. [Ascribed to] Wed 1st February 2006 £14,400
Violin Turin, 1837 [Workshop] Sun 1st May 2005 £19,374
Violin Turin 1850 Mon 1st November 2004 £140,000
Violin [Ascribed to] Mon 1st March 2004 £33,600
Violin 1846 Tue 1st July 2003 £100,800
Cello 1845 Tue 1st May 2001 £144,056
Violin 1845 Wed 1st November 2000 £91,500
Violin 1845 Wed 1st November 2000 £80,500
Violin 1851 Wed 1st November 2000 £126,950
Violin 1849 Wed 1st March 2000 £133,500
Violin 1843 Mon 1st November 1999 £128,000
Violin 1861 Sun 1st October 1995 £43,300
Violin 1854 c. Wed 1st March 1995 £104,900
Violin 1861 Wed 1st March 1995 £87,300
Violin 1857 Tue 1st November 1994 £62,000
Cello 1854 Tue 1st November 1994 £210,500
Violin 1853 Mon 1st November 1993 £82,900
Violin 1854 Thu 1st April 1993 £78,500
Violin 1852 Sun 1st November 1992 £99,000
Violin 1854 Sun 1st March 1992 £60,500
Violin 1859 Fri 1st November 1991 £82,500
Violin 18-- Fri 1st June 1990 £66,000
Violin 1850 Thu 1st March 1990 £94,600
Violin 1854 Wed 1st November 1989 £11,550
Violin 1841 Wed 1st November 1989 £99,000
Violin 1863 Tue 1st November 1988 £46,200
Cello 1838 Sun 1st November 1987 £57,200
Violin 1848 c. Sun 1st November 1987 £20,900
Violin 1856 Wed 1st April 1987 £33,000
Violin 1860 Sat 1st March 1986 £25,920
Violin 1850 Sat 1st March 1986 £15,172
Violin 1845 Fri 1st November 1985 £35,200
Violin 1850 Fri 1st November 1985 £28,080
Violin 1864 Mon 1st July 1985 £26,400
Violin 1847 Mon 1st April 1985 £50,600
Violin 1850 Mon 1st April 1985 £33,000
Violin 1842 Thu 1st November 1984 £33,000
Violin 1840-50 Mon 1st October 1984 £7,150
Violin 1856 Fri 1st June 1984 £19,242
Violin 1860 Fri 1st June 1984 £7,244
Violin 1857 Sun 1st April 1984 £13,006
Violin 1857 Thu 1st March 1984 £23,100
Violin 1859 Wed 1st June 1983 £17,280
Violin 1860 Sun 1st November 1981 £10,098
Violin 1845 Thu 1st May 1980 £17,050
Biographies

John Dilworth

ROCCA, Giuseppe b. 1807 Barbaresco, Alba, died 1865 Genoa Italy. Pupil and assistant of Pressenda, whom he may have encountered in Alba when Pressenda was there 1814-1817. Established with Pressenda in Turin between 1820 and c.1835. Charles Beare (Grove) cites two virtually identical violins dated 1839, one bearing Pressenda’s label, the other with that of Rocca. Awarded copper medal at 4th Turin exhibition 1844. At that time living in via Po, Turin and referred to as a pupil of Pressenda. Established independently by 1850, working in Contrada d’Angennes. A colleague of the dealer and connoisseur Luigi Tarisio, in 1851 made a copy of the 1716 Stradivari ‘Messie’ violin while it was in his possession, possibly the first luthier to do so. Following the death of Pressenda in 1854, moved to Genoa where he encountered Gibertini and Bianchi, and his work began to decline slightly. Pupils were his son, Enrico, and A. Montovani. Extrememly fine work on Stradivari and Guarneri models, the Guarneri pattern taken from the ‘Alard’ of 1742, an instrument also in the possession of Tarisio. Early work is very Rocca like, sometimes with the least attractive of his varnishes; a thin dark red recipe. Later instruments are extremely sophisticated, and are amongst the very best Italian instruments of the 19th century. He followed Cremonese construction closely, using pins set close under the purfling at each end of the back, and willow interior work with the linings morticed to the corner blocks. The only typically Turin characteristic he retained was the sharply marked centre line around the pegbox and scroll. Many workshops continued to make copies of Rocca’s work well into the 20th century, and these are often falsely labelled. However, authentic work is generally of a level that is difficult to reproduce. Branded internally: ‘G.R.’ Joseph Antonius Rocca / Taurini 1830 Joseph Rocca fecit / Taurini anno Domini 1843 Joseph Rocca fecit / Premiato di Medaglie alle Esposizione / di Torino, Genova, Londra e Parigi. / Taurini, Anno Domini 1858

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