carlo bergonzi and his family lived close to workshop in cremona of vincenzo rugeri and would have been the most obvious place for apprenticeship for carlo given the social and financial connections between the two families. when comparing the work of bergonzi with vincenzo rugeri, their similarity of work is obvious in the treatment of the scrolls and the working technique of scarfing the linings into the corner blocks at an angle instead of square. the early violins of carlo's career follow similar outlines as vincenzo rugeri's violins as could be expected, however the outlines of later instruments became his own. antonio stradivari and guarneri del gesu also had an influence upon carlo bergonzi's work. carlo bergonzi eventually moved into the casa stradivari in 1746 after the master's death in 1737 and even completed some of the unfinished violins by antonio stradivari.