Antique Violins £20K to £50K

Rather like a number 51 bus, you can wait and wait for a Couturieux, and then two come along at once. Very little is known about this maker who worked briefly for JB Vuillaume – as far as I know he didn’t make instruments under his own label, and we know him mainly from his signature found inside this violin and a viola we also have for sale.
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Georges Cunault was one of the finest French makers of the early 20th century, but his violins are rarely seen outside France. This is a beautiful del Gesu model from 1912 in excellent condition. More details→

Paul Bailly is definitely the most interesting maker to have come out of the Vuillaume shop, and this is the second of three violins of his which we will be offering. Bailly was a tireless experimenter – he also moved house a lot, working in Paris, Brussels, London, New York, Reims, Leeds, and finally Paris again! More details→

Mario Gadda is one of the best-known names in modern Italian violin-making, and this violin is a great sounding example of his own model in excellent condition. More details→

Paul Blanchard was an outstanding maker who worked for HC Silvestre before setting up his own workshop in Lyon. The violins he made pre-1900 are vey highly regarded, and the del Gesu models particularly so. This violin is a spectacular example in mint condition, with an outstanding concert sound. More details→

French violin-making in the 19th century has been dominated by the Vuillaume shop, but there are numerous makers at this time who produced more beautiful and more individual work. Gaillard is one of these, and this is a great example with a lustrous varnish and an outstanding concert tone. More details→

“A Vuillaume by any other name would smell as sweet …”! Here we have a superb sounding violin by Vuillaume’s right hand man, Charles Adolphe Maucotel. It is in almost all respects indistinguishable from a Vuillame, and it has a superb concert sound. More details→

The Chanot family have been hugely influential in the history of violin-making, both in France and in England. Georges Chanot II was sent to England by his father in order to stop him misbehaving in Paris – it definitely worked, and he became a consummate and very successful maker. More details→

Blanchi was perhaps the most refined maker of the Nice school. His ancestry as a violin-maker traces its way back through his father and Pierre Pacherel to Pressenda, and his work represents an excellent synthesis of French precision and Italian flair. More details→

This is a very fine del Gesu copy by one of the most interesting of late 19th century French makers, Joseph Hel. It’s in unusually fine condition with no cracks or damages. More details→