Domenico Pasta was a violin maker in Brescia, Italy of the former half of the 18th century.
He was born in Milan as the third son of Bartolomeo Pasta.
Bartolomeo Pasta worked in the Cremonese master craftsman Nicolo Amati’s atelier. After that, he moved to Milan to work in the same period as Giovanni Grancino and the Testore family. There is a written record that he lived in the same building with the Testore family in Milan in 1670s.
That was how two schools of the Cremonese and the Milanese merged into hands of his son Domenico.
Domenico and his elder brother Gaetano Pasta moved to Brescia to establish an atelier called “Alla Pallada” about 1694 and make a living as stringed instrument makers.
While influenced by Gasparo da Salo and Rogeri of the Brescia School, Cremonese, Milanese and Brescia styles were fused into his artwork to make an original attraction.
It is thought that Domenico worked in Brescia till his later years and passed away about 1765.
Very few instruments of his still exist today and many things about his profile are not clear, which makes his artwork most attractive among Italian old instruments.

The violin, introduced here, was made after the Brescia School master Paolo Maggini’s style. It is characterized by the double purfling, the beautiful red-brownish varnish and the rather unrefined scroll which feels like a period instrument. A very attractive piece of artwork with deep and powerful sound.