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Jean Baptiste Vuillaume Violin

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Vuillaume, Jean Baptiste
Description (Brief)

This violin was made by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume in Paris, France, in 1871. It is violin, Vuillaume #2847, with a two-piece table of spruce with medium grain widening at the flanks, two-piece back of quarter cut maple with medium flame descending from the center joint, ribs are of maple with irregular flame, and the head is of maple with narrow flame, and golden brown varnish over a golden ground. There is an original label inside the instrument:

Jean Baptiste Vuillaume a Paris 3, rue Demours- Ternes

The French violin maker and dealer Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1798-1875) dominated the violin trade in the middle of the 19th century. Born in Mirecourt, a small town in the Vosges famous for its production of lace and violins, he established his workshops in Paris where his marketing genius flourished. In the traditions of the Amatis, Vuillaume was an innovator, making major contributions in bowmaking, mass-marketing, and dealing in old instruments. In addition to his Octobasse, a giant double bass, he created a specially shaped contralto viola, an automatic violin mute, and machines and clever gadgets to apply to his work. He gained great skills in imitating fine old Italian violins, and as he engaged a large number of assistants, his new instruments could be offered through volume sales. As the Vuillaume imitations became more accurate and impressive, he became the leading shop in Paris, and the first violin shop in Europe to be conducting business in every country.

His instruments are true copies rather than fakes, and all bear Vuillaume's own label. This is remarkable in that there were over 2000 of the best quality instruments, all supervised and varnished by Jean-Baptiste himself.

Vuillaume's influence on violin and bow makers was felt all across France. His astute business sense in appealing to a new democratic marketplace of both exclusive buyers and mass consumers is felt in the violin trade today. J.B. Vuillaume's mastery of the Cremonese traditions, combined with sustaining the mystique of the violin, guaranteed the production of immensely successful instruments and his legendary reputation as a dealer in fine old instruments.

Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Evelyn and Herbert R. Axelrod
1871
ID Number
2002.0074.02
accession number
2002.0074
catalog number
2002.0074.02
Object Name
violin
Physical Description
spruce (overall material)
maple (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 355 mm x 207 mm; 14 in x 8 1/8 in
overall: 23 5/8 in x 8 1/8 in x 3 7/8 in; 60.0075 cm x 20.6375 cm x 9.8425 cm
Place Made
France: Île-de-France, Paris
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
Music & Musical Instruments
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_1000982
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a8-6262-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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