Fine French violin by Jacques-Pierre Thibout, Paris 1838

This magnificient master violin, a mature work by Parisian luthier Jacques-Pierre Thibout, offers an interesting glimpse of 19th century French violin making. The highly decorated master from the Norman city of Caen belonged to the tradition of Nicolas Lupot, the “French Stradivarius” – in other words, a part of the line whose relevance has been historically obscured (and unjustifiably so) by the Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume school and workshop which were predominant. Thibout’s work serves as further testament to this fact: his violins were in as much demand at the turn of the century as historic Italian instruments, and they even commanded similar prices. Some Jacques-Pierre Thibout violins were successfully re-sold by cunning merchants who claimed they were Lupot masterpieces, and as matter of fact, Thibout, who moved to Paris in 1796, could certainly hold his own against his figurative forefather. This Thibout violin, whose authenticity is confirmed in a certificate issued by the internationally renowned expert Hieronymus Köstler from Stuttgart, is immediately eye-catching because of its well-chosen tone woods full of personality; their structure is enhanced by a magnificently beautiful orange-brown oil varnish on a light base coat. Jacques-Pierre Thibout’s wide-ranging capabilities and artistic sensitivity are demonstrated in this inimitable version of his personal model, which ranks among the most interesting contemporary Lupot interpretations; it features a one-piece maple back and well-defined bee-sting corners as well as exceptionally fine carving in the scroll. Over the course of the violin’s long history of nearly two hundred years, its varnish has developed a delicate patina and fine crackling; minor traces of use reflect its long musical life and the fact that it seems to have been played often. At our workshop, our expert restorers carefully made the violin ready to play and determined that a carefully placed soundpost patch at the top was a well-executed repair, probably made at Beare & Son, that has no effect on the musical properties of this historic master instrument. Its large, radiant sound reflect Jacques-Pierre Thibout’s detailed study of classic Italian violin making, and with its mature and dominant character, the violin opens up unique opportunities for musical interpretation.