An Anonymous French Violin From Mirecourt, Circa 1880

At some 140 years of age, this French violin demonstrates remarkably little wear, with no damages, nor any repairs to speak of, less some far and few between superficial scuffs to the finish. Whereas many Mirecourt productions often measure to somewhat larger proportions, the back length of this violin proved to be a textbook 356mm. The selected materials are mostly typical to many workshops of the era. Having said that, the spruce top is particularly noteworthy, if you’ll pardon the pun, with a warble to the grain in the lower bass bout and a third piece replacing what would have been the more affected area of the plate, where the knot would have been, original to the violin and lending some character to this very clean instrument. Fine edge work, with well defined but stouter, more squared corners, and a precision to the channeling that lends a fluted quality to the workmanship. Patterned after Guarneri, bit a somewhat softer stylization of the f-holes, and a more typical scroll with