The original instrument is housed in the “Palazzo del Comune” in Cremona, Italy. Amati built it along with several other instruments for the French royal court of Charles IX. Like the other instruments in the group, it bears the coat of arms of the French royal court, as well as Latin verses and floral ornaments adorning the body and pegbox. With a body length of 35.1 cm, it is one of the smaller of the two model sizes that Amati used for his violins.
No instrument by Andrea Amati has survived in its original condition from the time of its construction. In reconstructing its hypothetical original state, iconographic sources are therefore used that depict the bridge, pegs, tailpiece, and fingerboard shapes with photographic precision in some cases. The possible scale lengths are also realized in the replica using the proportional ratios of the late Renaissance. Since the technology for winding strings was not yet available at the time of its construction, the instrument is fitted with pure gut strings, which necessitates a low bridge position. There is abundant evidence of this in 16th- and 17th-century paintings.
