Orfeo Carletti violin, Pieve di Cento 1932

Orfeo Carletti (b.1906, d.1940) was an Italian violin maker. He is the son of Carlo Carletti, who trained him along with his older brother, Natale, at a young age. He started working professionally in the 1920s and was a violinist himself. In 1928, under the instructions of Carlo, the two brothers opened a workshop in Bologna, near the old Fiorini workshop, where their father used to work in his youth. It closed about six years later.

Orfeo Carletti's scroll carving was masterful-considered to be the best in his family. Though the quality of his work was similar to Natale's, his keen eye for detail and workmanship was often described as close to perfection. His instruments are considered rare and very little are known about those that exist. Orfeo died in 1940 at the age of 36. His instruments are rare compared to the other members of the Carletti family.