A Competetive Example of Nicolas Vuillaume - Violin, Circa 1850.

Eclipsed by but also contributing to the success of his older brother, J.B. Vuillaume, Nicolas Vuillaume (1800-1872) was the third son of Claude Francois Vuillaume. Like his brothers, Nicolas developed his craft in the family workshop, coming into his own in the 1820’s and until a cholera outbreak in Mirecourt claimed the lives of his wife and son in 1832. He spent the next 10 years working with J.B. Vuillaume in Paris and was integral in developing the “Stentor” and “St. Cecile” lines sold by the firm. Nicolas returned to Mirecourt in 1842 but continued to produce instruments for his brother, often sending instruments in the ‘white’ for J.B. to varnish with his immediately recognized aesthetic. “Stentor” instruments were branded internally to the belly but also featured a shield on the back of the scroll.

This beautiful example of the brothers’ collaboration dates to about 1850 and features a beautiful single-piece maple back of pronounced flame measuring exactly 356mm in length. At some point in its past, the shield was expertly removed from the back of the scroll, likely in an attempt to pass it off as the work of J.B. Vuillaume rather than Nicolas, who’s instruments are remarkably more attainable to professional violinists and always beautifully voiced.