Guiseppe Uglis Catania

[UmbrellaNet]

I would like to know if anybody know anything about this mark it is from my mandolin
this instrument was made before 1920

Thanks

[Schlegel]

That will be the luthier's name and location. Catania was a big center of mandolin manufacture in Italy at the time.

[UmbrellaNet]

Thanks Schleger , By any chance do you have more information about this luthier ?

[Schlegel]

No, sorry. There were hundreds of shops and most of those guys toiled in obscurity. Very few became famous enough to leave any information a hundred years later.

[Paul Hostetter]

Interesting that Giuseppe is misspelled. A lot of the so-called "Franco-Italian" makers all came to France from Catania. A few are still there though.

[Jim Garber]

I have no records of any other mandolins by that maker. Can you post more photos of this instrument?

[Schlegel]

I'm gonna throw this out there- I think the brand didn't make full contact with the wood. Add a "P" in front and an "i" on the end. Puglisi.

[UmbrellaNet]

I have no records of any other mandolins by that maker. Can you post more photos of this instrument?

I will upload in a few minutes a picture from the inside of the mandolin

[Paul Hostetter]

I'm gonna throw this out there- I think the brand didn't make full contact with the wood. Add a "P" in front and an "i" on the end. Puglisi.

Good call.

[UmbrellaNet]

[Schlegel]

After 1906 Guisseppe Puglisi Reale added "&sons" to the brands and labels, so you can probably assume your mandolin is from 1905 or earlier.

[Jim Garber]

I'm gonna throw this out there- I think the brand didn't make full contact with the wood. Add a "P" in front and an "i" on the end. Puglisi.

Quite possible... the only Giuseppe Puglisi jpegs I have have a different stamp spelled correctly.

[UmbrellaNet]

Maybe the inside blue drawings from the mandolin can tell anything ?

[Paul Hostetter]

I see quite a few "G. Puglisi Reale - Catania" and "e figli"mandolins, which seem to be generally fancier. If I had a stamp that was missing two letters and had my first name misspelled, I'd get another.

[brunello97]

Counterfeit, maybe?

Mick

[Paul Hostetter]

Just found this on the net:

The Puglisi family has started to build musical instruments in Catania (Sicily) since 1820. Giuseppe(G.) Reale was born in 1852 and was the son of a piano and organ builder. In 1880 he has founded one of the largest Italian factories for manufacturing bowed and plucked string instruments. After 1906 the firm's name appears already as "G. Puglisi Reale i Figli(o)". Figli(o) means "sons" in Italian. The sons are Concetto Puglisi and Michelangelo Puglisi. Michelangelo Puglisi ran the workshop successfully after 1909 and his son Salvatore also played a part in this. They were active makers of fine violins (mainly), bows, strings, guitars, mandolins and unique cellos. Unfortunately the factory was destroyed during WWII by bombardment in 1943. Although it was rebuilt and some noted instruments were built after this time, many of the original Puglisi family susbsequently migrated from Sicily to USA, Canada and Australia. After Salvatore`s death his son-in-law Buccheri took over the factory. Before he died he gave all the factory tools to Alfredo Privitera, who established the Privitera company in 1962, which makes the instruments like Puglisi used to make. The Privitera factory still exists in Catania and is located on "Via Scuto Costarelli".

No idea what his sources of info are, and not sure how to interpret or equate the name Puglisi with Giuseppe (G.) Reale.

[UmbrellaNet]

This mandolin belonged to my greatgrandfather who came from europe in 1920 (around) but the mandolin itself seems to be much older , I have some pictures of him younger with the mandolin while living in europe

[brunello97]

A lot of folks were attaching some type of 'royal' countenance to their work/businesses in Napoli at this time. Maybe the trend carried on to Sicily as well?

My long time barber up in Liguria is Pugliese. He says they pride themselves on their 'hard heads'. Something an Irishman can appreciate.

I've had a few Puglisi bowlbacks over the years, but nothing particularly fancy. I like the overall risk-taking in their design approach. I have a Puglisi mandola (or whatever) now that has a canted top and a Gibson-esque carved maple back. Very curious.

The inside photos from the OP almost look like Japanese/Chinese figures. Is that from a label or from paper lining the inside of the bowl?

Mick

[UmbrellaNet]

From what i can see they are like a wall paper glued to the bowl , I can see many details but not chinese or japanese style , I can see many people and few women with unbrellas like a scene in a huge park

[dave17120]

Its Xmas, so I have a bit of spare time to do things I don't normally do.... browse the cafe for one!!!

A couple o of updates on this thread...

Paul: the quote you 'found on the net'.... was by Plamen Ivanov, and somewhere here in the cafe archives, and I reproduced it with a credit as to its origin on my site, so Williams Guitars got it from the Net in one of those two places I guess.

Kailo: I doubt its a Puglisi stamp gone wrong.... his stamp always included a central ant (I assume!?) and usuallu said 'G. Puglisi Reale'.... here are a couple of top-stamp photos... and all the Puglisis I've seen have had interior labels.



UmbrellaNet: I think its actually a little known builder..... which I hope will be confirmed by the finding of another eventually. I'll keep my eyes open.... in the meantime, I hope its ok if I add it to my site
Cheers, Dave

[Schlegel]

Dave, they don't always have the Reale part, and if you look above Jim posted an undoubted Puglisi brand with not an ant but some kind of Lyre in the center, so I still wouldn't rule it out.