Viola op.17,
after A.Stradivari's "Tuscan-Medici" 1690

This viola is inspired by the "Tuscan-Medici" set, which the Cremonese nobleman Ariberti commissioned from Stradivari in 1690 as a gift for Grand Prince Ferdinando de' Medici, a passionate musician and patron of the arts. The set originally comprised two violins and a cello — the prince was so delighted that he asked Stradivari for two violas as well, a large tenor and a smaller contralto.

This commission inspired Stradivari to develop two entirely new viola models. The tenor viola is the only surviving instrument of its kind, still held today at the Istituto Cherubini in Florence, adorned with ivory and ebony inlays and a mother-of-pearl Medici coat of arms.