H. Derazey: French violin patterned after Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume‘s famous Tieffenbrucker model

Viva fui in silvis dum dulce cano mortua: an homage to the historic master Caspar Tieffenbrucker from the famed workshop of Honoré Derazey with this violin whose enigmatic template was kept concealed by the great Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume in his Paris workshop

In this opulently decorated French violin patterned after Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume’s Tieffenbrucker model, the workshop of Honoré Derazey provides a lovely example of the extraordinarily high standard it had achieved as the leading violin-making workshop in Mirecourt, France, in the late 19^th century. And the homage to Vuillaume is by no means a coincidence, since Derazey, who won numerous awards at national and international expositions, spent critical years of his career in the inner circles of the great luthier who defined an entire epoch of French string instrument making. It remains a matter of speculation as to whether Vuillaume did indeed own an original violin by the historic Füssen master Caspar Tieffenbrucker or whether he simply wanted to lend credence to this model by creating a myth about a violin he never showed anyone. Its artistic inlays and carvings give the violin its strikingly beautiful appearance and can be regarded as a singularly perfect expression of the historic spirit of its time – a true feast for the eyes. Specific details make this violin clearly distinctive from similar instruments which were crafted in Vuillaume’s circles. Even the urban scene on the back, which presumably shows Tieffenbrucker’s longtime hometown Lyon, is depicted in particular detail, and the double purfling decorated with leaves around the button is an intricate ornament rarely seen in this form on violins. The delicately carved Tieffenbrucker bust contains iconography which pays tribute to Pierre Woeiriot de Bouzey, whose style was a solid reflection of its time in the 19th century – as does the saying ”viva fui in silvis dum dulce cano mortua” on the ribs, a vanitas reference which fits well in the context of the German Renaissance but more clearly positions it as a motto of French violin making: "While I lived I was silent; in death I sweetly sing.” This violin’s character is tastefully accentuated by the lovely golden-brown varnish which developed a charming historic patina over the course of time. Preserved in outstanding condition, this Derazey violin (which had  a minor repair) will enchant not only the eyes but the ears with its large, mature, warm sound; its truly male nature is a good match for adult musicians with a passion for emphatic playing and interpretations of the greatest precision.

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