Although he had a relatively short career, Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri (1698-1744), known as "del Gesù," is considered one of the greatest master luthiers of all time, alongside Antonio Stradivari. As the grandson of Andrea Guarneri, the son of Giuseppe Guarneri, and the brother of Pietro Guarneri of Venice, he was the heir to a great Cremonese lineage of luthiers and the most famous member of this renowned dynasty. Initially trained by his father, Giuseppe Guarneri ‘filius Andreae,’ whom he assisted from about 1714 to 1722, the first instruments known to be entirely his work date from the late 1720s.

His trademark label, featuring the monogram IHS (Iesus Hominem Salvator), from which he derives his nickname "del Gesù," first appeared in 1731. His work seems to have been influenced by the Brescian school, combining Cremonese tradition with elongated C-bouts and f-holes in the style of Maggini and da Salò. Unlike Antonio Stradivari, it appears that Guarneri was less concerned with the aesthetic aspects of violin making and focused more on sound quality.

He reached the height of his craft in the 1730s, notably with the "King Joseph" of 1737, but his later instruments are the most representative of his work and creativity. Known for their power, Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri "del Gesù" instruments are characterized by a unique sound—dark, warm, and deep—and have been widely copied by other luthiers, including one of the most illustrious, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1798-1875). Part of his legend also stems from the fact that Paganini, the great virtuoso and legendary violinist, considered his 1743 violin "il Cannone" to be his favorite instrument.

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