Tommaso Balestrieri was born in 1713 and passed away in 1796. According to J Philip Kass, he was born in the small village of ValNure near Piacenza in 1713 and moved to Mantua to work from 1729 to 1731. However, he did not specialize in making pianos, but rather worked as a servant to the nobility. In 1741, he was employed by Count Giuseppe Malatesta Palazzi. Starting from 1753, he began independent qin making. After Camillo Camille's death in 1754, Balestrieri became the most important qin maker in the region. In 1759, a personal studio was established in Mantua, and the earliest violin label to date appeared in Guarneri in 1761. Due to the fact that Balestrieri and Guadagnini were born in the small village of ValTidone near Piacenza in 1711 and both used walnut as the setting thread, which is a commonly used material in the Piacenza region, it is speculated that he learned how to make pianos in this area. After 1776, Balestrieri had many business dealings with the Turino violin collector Duke Cozio, and thus gained a lot of experience from repairing famous violins. Balestrieri's works are roughly divided into two types: small and large, with bold styles. The small-sized qin has a relatively flat body curvature, which can timely guide a wide range of notes and have explosive and sweet tones. Some even believe that it can be on par with the early violins of Guadagnini, and is known as the "Little Guadagnini". Many musicians, such as Ruggiero Ricci (1918), also use the instruments made by this author. Currently, there are about 130 Balestrieri instruments in the world, which also have a very good reputation in the market. In the early days, it was mainly golden yellow, and later orange red paint became more common. The violin made in 1761 is an early work by Balestrieri, who can be seen influenced by Pietro Guarneri in the design of the F-hole and curvature. The tone is broad and has a bright and noble tone. The violin, made around 1780, is a typical small-sized design with a relatively flat curve, orange red paint, high explosive power, and bright high notes. Below are pictures of Balestri's works.