Family of Italian violin makers in Cremona in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Andrea (с 1520–с 1578) set the form of the modern violin. His two sons Antonio (с 1550–1638) and Girolamo (1561–1630) worked together and were known as the brothers Amati. Girolamo's son Nicolò (1596–1684), who like his forebears worked in Cremona, is regarded as the family's finest craftsman. Among his famous pupils were Andrea Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari ; Nicolò was succeeded by his son Girolamo (1649–1740). The great contribution of the Amatis to the development of the violin was their evolution of the flat, shallow model, which, as improved by Stradivari, is capable of producing a brilliant soprano tone.