Stradivari's violin workshop. 19th-century painting of famed Italian luthier and violin-maker Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) in his workshop. It is estimated that Stradivari made around 1000 instruments, of which around 500 violins survive. The painting hangs in the Room of the Violins in the Town Hall of Cremona, Italy. Cremona has been famed for centuries for its production of high-quality string instruments.