"LANINI, ALFRED - Born in America. Swiss-Italian parentage. Pupil of Antoniazzi at Cremona, and Farrotti at Milan. Worked at San Francisco, 1916. Established at San Jose (California), 1920- 1928. Violins, violas, cellos and double basses. Modelling absolutely goes the way of the inveterate Cremona realism. One of the ablest of workmen who fiddles not with the chattels of vagaries of originality which lie in every man's mind. Varnishing also shows superlativeness of the artist."
-William Henley, The Universal Dictionary of Violin Makers
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"San Jose, CA. 1891-1956. Born in Gonzales, CA. Started playing the violin at age 12. Moved to San Jose c. 1907, and studied making under Dr. Walter Hill for a few years. Moved to Milan, Italy, c. 1911 and studied under Romeo Antoniazzi for six months, until Mr. AntoniazziÕs death. Studied under Celeste Farotti, also in Milan, 1912-1914. Returned to San Jose in 1914 and attended, and graduated from, the King Conservatory of Music. Established own shop in San Francisco in 1917, and worked there for six months. Returned to San Jose and established own shop. Continued working there until his death. Made several copies of the Omobono and Antonio Stradivari violins he owned. After the late 1930s used his own model and a Guarneri model. Fine transparent spirit varnish following the Antoniazzi formula. Early instruments were shades of red and brown, changed to shades of orange in the 1930s. Variety of colors in the 1940s. Many instruments after 1930 were made using domestic wood. Handmade purfling. Stamped ÒA. LANINIÓ under endbutton, and sometimes on the end blocks. Handwritten label. Numbered under the label. Made about 500-600 instruments, including about 60 violas and 25 cellos. Studied bow making under August Nurnberger Suess starting in 1927, and under Husson in Paris for a few months in 1928. Stopped making bows c.1935 due to an allergic reaction. Most had a swanstyle head. All fittings handmade. Stamped ÒA. LANINIÕ Made about 100 bows. A number of people claim to have studied under Mr. Lanini. however, his only student for bow making was John Bolander Jr. and his only students for violin making were his sons Henry and Paul, and Clarence Shaw, who studied for a short time. (Violin illustrated on page 182)"
-Thomas James Wenberg, The Violin Makers of the United States