the Duke of
Modena's Orchestra, addressed his patron to this effect: "Please your
most Serene Highness, Tomaso Antonio Vitali, your highness's most
humble servant, bought of Francesco Capilupi, through the agency of
the Rev. Ignazio Paltrineri, for the price of twelve doublons, a
Violin, and paid such price on account of its having the name inside
of Niccolo Amati, a maker of great repute in his profession. The
petitioner has since found that this Violin has been wrongly named, as
underneath the label is the signature of Francesco Ruggieri detto il
Pero, a maker of less credit, whose Violins do not scarcely attain the
price of three doublons."[3] Vitali closes his letter with an appeal
to the Duke for assistance to obtain redress.

[Footnote 3: "Luigi F. Valdrighi Nomocheliurgografia," Modena, 1884.]

AMATI, Girolamo, Cremona, born 1649, third son of Niccolo. The labels
which I have seen in a Violin and a Tenor bear the name "Hieronymus
Amati," and describe the maker as the son of Niccolo. He was born on
February 26, 1649, married in 1678. In 1736 he, together with his
family, removed to another parish, as shown by the original extract
from the books of the Cathedral at Cremona, sent by Canon Manfredini
to Lancetti. Girolamo Amati died in the year 1740. There appears to
have been some doubt as to whether Girolamo Amati, the son of Niccolo,
made Violins, according to Lancetti. He says, "Those seen with his
label, dated between 1703 and 1723, were ascribed by some to Sneider,
of Pavia, and by others to J. B. Rogeri, of Brescia." In a letter of
Count Cozio di Salabue to Lancetti, dated January 3, 1823, he states
that "in May, 1806, Signor Carlo Cozzoni gave an old Amati Violin for
repair to the Brothers Mantegazza, dealers and restorers of musical
instruments, in Milan, and upon their removing the belly they were
pleased to discover, written at the base of the neck, 'Revisto e
coretto da me Girolamo figlio di Niccolo Amati, Cremona, 1710.'"

In some instances the instruments of this maker do not resemble those
of Niccolo Amati, or indeed those of the Amati family. The sound-holes
are straight, and the space between them is somewhat narrow. In others
there is merit of a high order--the pattern is large, broad between
the sound-holes, and very flat in model, and resembling the form of
Stradivari rather than that of Amati. These differences are accounted
for by the fact made known by Lancetti, that the tools and patterns o