Peter Biddulph

Guarneri del Gesù

The standard reference returns to print

A new two volume edition of Peter Biddulph’s study, expected December 2026. Twenty-eight violins, each shown life size.

Only a limited number of sets will be printed. Register your interest now and be the first to know when the book is available to buy.

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Guarneri del Gesù by Peter Biddulph: two black leather volumes and their presentation box

Twenty-eight years on, the book returns

Since 1998, Peter Biddulph’s study of Guarneri del Gesù has been the book makers keep open on the bench and collectors keep within reach in the library. It has long been hard to find.

Now it is back, in a new edition that adds three violins to the original twenty-five. Every instrument is recorded in full.

Life size photographs of the front and back of the Carrodus 1743 violin

Carrodus, 1743. Front and back, shown life size.

What you get

28

Violins, each shown life size Full photographs let you study every instrument as if it were in front of you.

Every

Detailed measurements For every violin: the information makers, restorers and experts rely on.

3

Violins new to this edition The Rovelli (c. 1742), the Alard (1742) and the Sainton (c. 1744).

2

Volumes in a presentation box Made to be used for years and kept for life.

Detail of the black leather binding, gold stamped emblem and gilded page edges

The book in detail

  • Two volumes in a presentation box. Two large hardback volumes, kept together in a black cloth box with a gold stamped emblem.
  • Large format. Each page measures 30 x 43.8 cm (about 12 x 17 inches), big enough to show every violin at full size.
  • 376 pages across two volumes.
  • 280 colour images.
  • Black leather binding. Each volume is bound in black leather, with a gold stamped emblem and the outline of a violin pressed into the cover.
  • Gilded page edges.
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Inside the book

Photographs, outline drawings and measurements for every violin

Outline and arching drawings of the Carrodus 1743 violin
Measured drawings and essay on the Carrodus 1743 violin
Life size photographs of the front and back of the Carrodus 1743 violin

Who this book is for

  • Violin makers and restorers who work from the originals
  • Collectors and dealers who need a trusted reference
  • Players who want to know the instruments of the greatest del Gesù tradition
  • Libraries, museums and institutions building a serious collection

The twenty-eight violins

  • Dancla c. 1727
  • Stretton c. 1729
  • Kreisler c. 1730
  • Baltic 1731
  • Violon du Diable 1734
  • Haddock 1734
  • King 1735
  • D’Egville 1735
  • Plowden 1735
  • King Joseph 1737
  • Stern, ex Panette 1737
  • Joachim 1737
  • Kemp 1738
  • Kortschak c. 1739
  • Ysaÿe 1740
  • Heifetz, ex David c. 1740
  • Kochanski 1741
  • Vieuxtemps 1741
  • Rovelli 1742 New
  • Lord Wilton 1742
  • Alard 1742 New
  • Paganini (Cannon) 1743
  • Carrodus 1743
  • Sauret c. 1743
  • Doyen c. 1744
  • Ole Bull 1744
  • Sainton c. 1744 New
  • Leduc 1745

Photo to follow:
Peter Biddulph with a del Gesù

About the author

Peter Biddulph is one of the world’s leading experts on fine violins. From his London shop he has advised players, collectors and foundations for decades, and his certificates of authenticity are trusted worldwide. He curated the landmark exhibition The Violin Masterpieces of Guarneri del Gesù at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which led to the first edition of this book. He is also the author of The Stradivari Legacy and The Violin Forms of Antonio Stradivari, and the founder of the award winning label Biddulph Recordings.

Why register now

This is a limited print run. When the sets are gone, they are gone, and the first edition shows how hard this book becomes to find once it is out of print.

People who register will hear first, before the book is offered to anyone else.

How it works

  1. Register your interest below. It takes less than a minute.
  2. We’ll email you as soon as the book is ready to order.
  3. You decide then. There is no payment and no commitment now.

Register your interest

Be first to be notified when Guarneri del Gesù becomes available to buy. Numbers are limited.

Guarneri del Gesù: Register Interest

Questions? Email enquiries@peterbiddulph.com