Son of Carlo Bergonzi, Michelangelo was born in Cremona in 1721 and is considered by many to be one of the last masters of the Cremonese school of the eighteenth century. Unfortunately destined for an untimely death (he died in 1758 at only 37 years of age), he naturally worked following his father's style, of whom he was a pupil, but his individual production evidences a partially different approach. Michelangelo's work never reached Carlo's technical mastery and his degree of refinement and, due to its more spontaneous character, it is sometimes compared to that of Guarneri del Gesù. The model is slightly elongated, and the corners are equally long and open towards the outside. The F-holes, besides Carlo, are reminiscent of some instruments by del Gesù, and the wings are occasionally somewhat rounded. The scroll, similar to his father's style due to the eye that protrudes strongly from the volute when viewed from the front, however, displays a less defined, softer and more spontaneous carving.
Michelangelo had the important historical role of inheriting the custody of Antonio Stradivari's tools and moulds (which he seems to have sometimes used) between 1747 and 1758, after which these relics remained unused for several decades.
