Eugenio Praga (Casale Monferrato 1847, Crocefieschi 1901)
The son of an important engineer and architect of Casale Monferrato and a wealthy man, Eugenio Praga took a degree in Engineering in Florence before deidcating himself to violinmaking. His apprenticeship in the workshop of Nicolò Bianchi started in 1869 and it lasted until 1878 when his teacher moved to Nice, France; later he won a prize in the exhibition in Torino in 1884 and in the italo-american exhibition in Genova, 1892. Eugenio Praga was the first violinmaker to be consulted concerning the conservation of the violin of Paganini il “Cannone”, housed in Genova in Palazzo Doria-Tursi; he died in Crocefieschi (Genova) in 1901.
A wealthy man, Eugenio Praga had a not very consistent output, he probably made less than one hundred instrument, mainly violin, violas, a few cello and a double bass. His interpretations of the “Cannone” of Paganini are highly remarkable.
