This collection belonged to Pietro Correr (1821 – before 1882), a Venetian nobleman who had inherited it from Marco Contarini (1632–1689), Procurator of San Marco, who had assembled it in the late 17th century. A supporter of Italian irredentism, Correr sold much of his property to finance the cause and eventually accepted a position in the railway administration. He died in obscurity.
His collection of instruments was offered for sale in the early 1870s. A few pieces were acquired by the Musée de la Musique in Paris, but in 1886 Victor-Charles Mahillon, the first curator of the Musée...
This collection belonged to Pietro Correr (1821 – before 1882), a Venetian nobleman who had inherited it from Marco Contarini (1632–1689), Procurator of San Marco, who had assembled it in the late 17th century. A supporter of Italian irredentism, Correr sold much of his property to finance the cause and eventually accepted a position in the railway administration. He died in obscurity.
His collection of instruments was offered for sale in the early 1870s. A few pieces were acquired by the Musée de la Musique in Paris, but in 1886 Victor-Charles Mahillon, the first curator of the Musée instrumental du Conservatoire (the predecessor of today’s MIM), was able to purchase the greater part of it. The collection comprises 121 Italian and German instruments from the 16th and 17th centuries, including a complete 17th-century orchestra with two consorts of viola da gamba built by Pietro Zenatto in 1683 and 1684. It also contains several harpsichords and organs, among them one from Piazzola made by the German builder Theodor Agathe.
Unfortunately, the authenticity of several instruments remains questionable. A comparison between the surviving pieces and catalogues of the collection compiled before Correr’s death reveals certain discrepancies, suggesting that some instruments were modified, probably shortly before 1886. Nevertheless, a number of items retain considerable historical value.
