A Very Rare French Violin by Nicolas Lupot 1822
This exquisite violin was made by Nicolas Lupot (1758-1824), “the French Stradivarius”, near the height of his career in 1822. Lupot is considered the greatest and most influential French violin maker. This violin is a definitive example of the master's work.
This instrument has a long and storied history. We are able to trace its ownership to the turn of the last century when it was purchased the by a British collector and player from Hart & Sons in London. By the 1940's it had made its way to Chicago’s William Lewis & Son Co., one of the most important violin shops in the world. There it was purchased by an assistant conductor at a major American symphony, who sold it in 1956 for $4,000 to a mother of a prodigious 13-year-old girl. On this violin, the girl made her way to studying at The Juilliard School where she completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees before a enjoying long career with one of America's major symphony orchestras.
This violin was featured in a 1947 issue of The Strad magazine, which lauded it as one of Lupot’s “finest Stradivari copies” and provided photographs and detailed measurements. This proved to be of great value, as this violin was stolen from its owner and remained missing for over twenty years. After its sudden and mysterious reappearance, this documentation helped to prove its authenticity along with dendrochronological analysis and expert examination. This instrument is also referenced in William Henley's, 'Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers' as an "Especially fine specimen, dated 1822, gorgeous red varnish".
We are thrilled to offer this fine and historic instrument, which has not been on the market in over half a century.
This violin will be sold with a copy of the following:
The 1947 Strad issue in which it was featured
A dendrochronology report by Peter Ratcliffe, London (dates the latest rings to 1793 and 1796 and cross-matches to several known examples)
Certificates from William Lewis & Sons (1940s) and Christopher Reuning (2022)
This instrument has a long and storied history. We are able to trace its ownership to the turn of the last century when it was purchased the by a British collector and player from Hart & Sons in London. By the 1940's it had made its way to Chicago’s William Lewis & Son Co., one of the most important violin shops in the world. There it was purchased by an assistant conductor at a major American symphony, who sold it in 1956 for $4,000 to a mother of a prodigious 13-year-old girl. On this violin, the girl made her way to studying at The Juilliard School where she completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees before a enjoying long career with one of America's major symphony orchestras.
This violin was featured in a 1947 issue of The Strad magazine, which lauded it as one of Lupot’s “finest Stradivari copies” and provided photographs and detailed measurements. This proved to be of great value, as this violin was stolen from its owner and remained missing for over twenty years. After its sudden and mysterious reappearance, this documentation helped to prove its authenticity along with dendrochronological analysis and expert examination. This instrument is also referenced in William Henley's, 'Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers' as an "Especially fine specimen, dated 1822, gorgeous red varnish".
We are thrilled to offer this fine and historic instrument, which has not been on the market in over half a century.
This violin will be sold with a copy of the following:
The 1947 Strad issue in which it was featured
A dendrochronology report by Peter Ratcliffe, London (dates the latest rings to 1793 and 1796 and cross-matches to several known examples)
Certificates from William Lewis & Sons (1940s) and Christopher Reuning (2022)
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