Fine violin by Christian Olivier & Paul Bisch Paris 1927

This fine French master violin represents the flourishing musical culture of 1920s Paris, and with its excellent sound and attractive aesthetic, it invites us on a journey through time into the dawning modern era, the cosmopolitan years between the wars. A brand mark on the button and an original signed label inside the body both document the violin’s provenance from the workshop founded by jointly by Mirecourt luthier Paul Bisch and Christian Olivier in 1923 – and by 1927, the year in which this violin was crafted, the workshop had been officially appointed Luthiers du Conservatoire. Olivier managed the business so that Bisch could concentrate his full efforts on making exquisite stringed instruments which met the multifaceted high standards of their clients. As a former employee of the highly esteemed workshop Caressa & Français, Bisch perfected the mastery of his craft in his studies with Thibouville, Léon Mougenot and Marius Didier and had a full command of all of the tools of modern French violin making, and this is not only evident but exemplary in the expressive masterpiece presented here. The fascinating finely to moderately grained spruce top and the beautiful tight flames of the two-piece back demonstrate Paul Bisch’s virtuosity at a glance, and these woods are further accentuated by the rich orange-reddish oil varnish which has developed charming crackling at certain sites. After having been carefully set up and made ready to play by the specialists at our workshop, this well-preserved violin can be warmly recommended with its bright and radiant sound full of timbre that opens up a broad range of musical options – including authentic interpretations of the music of the time it hails from.