Information about Julius Lombardi?

[FiddlingJim]

I've recently come across a violin with the following label: Julius Lombardi, Fecit a Rimini 1784, with the '84' handwritten. I've looked online for Lombardi and found very little information, but I did find a couple of German copies of his violins that have sold at auctions with similar labels to the one I saw, but with the year 1789. I'm thinking that the violin I've come across is a copy of a Julius Lombardi.  Does anyone 1. know anything about this maker, who I'm assuming is from Rimini, Italy (on the Adriatic Sea)?  2. know what was distinct about his style that would motivate copying it? and 3. know what German shop produced copies of Lombardi's violins?

Thanks in advance for any information.

[martin swan]

The violins that can be found on auction sites are not copies of a purported maker called Lombardi but bog standard German trade instruments with a spurious Lombardi label stuck in them. I assume the name was made up by some wholesaler of Markneukirchen violins to add a bit of lustre.

I can't find any references for an actual maker with this name (Jalovec mentions only the existence of a violin with a 1789 label which he obviously won't have seen), and as far as I know there was no violin-making in Rimini before the 20th century.

I may be wrong but I can think of any Italian maker who Italianized his first name to "Julius" - this seems entirely a feature of German and Czech makers.

[Jo Stephens]

https://amati.com/en/maker/lombardi-julius

[martin swan]

41 minutes ago, Jo Stephens said:

https://amati.com/en/maker/lombardi-julius

I'm aware of the Lutgendorff entry but I don't regard this as an actual reference to a verified maker. It only confirms the existence of a label.

[FiddlingJim]

Thank you for the responses. It is curious that there is not more about Lombardi if he was a real violin maker and others were copying him. I tend to go along with Martin's explanation that it is a 'designer' name - it does sound a bit 'hokey'. The violin has a dark finish with a tight, even grain to the spruce top and attractive curls on the one piece maple back.  I ended up buying it and very much enjoy the sound - it is powerful, resonant, very responsive, and on the bright side.