This is a beautifully made violin from one of the best Mirecourt workshops.
Blondelet began his career with the Thibouville-Lamy firm at age 15. He became a highly regarded maker and was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1923. The tone is warm,full and rich.
Willi Götz trained in Berlin with Otto Möckel and Ludwig Neuner and Georg Piegendorfer in Augsburg before settling in Markneukirchen in 1903.
Drozen began his career in Prague working with J.B.Vavra and B.Lantner before moving to Turnov in 1925. His violins became popular with professionals and soloists, both in Czechoslovakia and around the world. In fact, one of his violins was used by the great violinist Jan Kubelik.
Horvath is an interesting young maker who has had success in various international competitions. This violin has a brilliant, responsive tone.
In the late 19th. And early twentieth centuries, there were a number of excellent workshops in Mirecourt. This violin probably dates from the early twentieth century.
By the late 19th century, famous workshops in Mirecourt, France were making some of their finest instruments. This is an excellent example of Mirecourt workmanship of that era.
The Aubert workshop is famous for the very finest bridges for bowed string instruments. For many years they have also maintained a very small workshop making very fine violins, violas and cellos.
Nicolaus Uhlen was born and trained in Germany. He came to the U.S. in the mid 1880’s, working first in New York, then moving to Chicago in 1893. At that time there were many fine violin makers in Chicago, mostly immigrants from Germany and Eastern Europe.
Heinrich Herman Todt trained in Markneukirchen and worked for an important maker in Busdapest befor reurning home. His workshop made high quality instruments for a number of important shops especially in the U.S. This violin was made for William Lewis and Son in Chicago, one of the largest and most important shops in the country.
Carlisle made his first violin in 1910 and by 1914 he was associated with Rudolf Wurlitzer in Cincinnati. In the first part of the 20th century, Wurlitzer was one of the largest musical instrument dealers in the world with several locations around the country and were one of the most important violin dealers in the U.S. Carlisle made a number of fine violins for them over many years. This is an especially nice example of his work.