ANTONIO DE TORRES

Antonio de Torres (1817 – 1892) first trained as a carpenter at the early age of twelve. Although he may have dabbled in guitar making earlier, his first professional instruments began to appear in the 1850s, when he was in his mid thirties. He was encouraged by local guitar virtuosos, especially Julian Arcas, who recognized his talent, and as such took  to the career of guitar making. Torres established a reputation as a pioneer in guitar making, bringing various elements of guitar making together in an innovative design that has shaped the work of every guitar maker since. Torres himself might be surprised at how important his life's work still is today. The supremacy of the great pantheon of Spanish guitar makers could not have been achieved without the indelible influence of Antonio de Torres. Through his ingenuity, Torres transformed the guitar from an accompaniment to a solo instrument. He recognized that for a guitar to fill the ever growing number of larger venues he would need to increase its volume and resonance. Torres accomplished this mission by increasing the overall outline of the guitar, altering the sting length and developing a revolutionary fan-bracing system. Today the vast majority of classical guitars are quite close in design to the Torres formula, and even the most experimental builders start from the design that Torres intuitively perfected more then a hundred and fifty years ago.

Upcoming lots by this artist

No upcoming lots were found for Antonio De Torres .

Click the "Save to my interests" button above, and Christie's will notify you when upcoming sales include items that match this interest.