Bénédicte Friedmann Guadagnini 'Berta-Salabue 1774' Violin - Cremona 2026

A Guadagnini model of rare beauty from the workshop of Bénédicte Friedmann, one of Cremona's most respected contemporary makers. The model Giovanni Battista Guadagnini made the "Berta-Salabue" in Turin in 1774, in the final and most refined period of his career. The Salabue name recalls Count Cozio di Salabue — the great eighteenth-century collector who was Guadagnini's patron during those Turin years. Bénédicte's interpretation honours the original's elegant outline, crisp f-holes and assured scroll, finished in a richly antiqued red-orange varnish over a back of bold, deep flame. The maker Born in Reims, France, in 1974, Bénédicte trained first as a musician — graduating in violin and viola, and earning an honours degree in musicology from the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1999 she moved to Cremona to study at the International Violin Making School under Giorgio Scolari, graduating in 2002 with the Ferraroni Prize for the top graduating student and the prize for best thesis. She refined her craft in the workshops of Eros Barcellari and Massimo Ardoli, studied varnish and set-up with Stefano Conia "Il Giovane", and opened her own workshop in Cremona's historic centre in 2007. Today she sits on the board of the Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari, teaches specialist classes at the Stradivari violin making school, and has served as a juror in international violin making competitions. Her instruments are played across Europe, Asia and the United States, and her Guadagnini models are especially admired. Details Maker: Bénédicte Friedmann, Cremona, Italy Model: G.B. Guadagnini 1774 "Berta-Salabue" Size: 4/4 Year: 2026 Available to play in our Glen Waverley showroom.