A Good French “Breton” Viola By JTL, Circa 1875. 408mm or 16.”

Joseph-Francois Breton (fl. 1778 - d. 1837) was a masterful and prolific craftsman who bridged the gap between the preceding styles of the Second Vieux-Paris School and the broader Stradivarius inspired patterns which flourished prevalently through the traditions of 19th century French violin making. After training and working in Paris, he established an independent workshop in Mirecourt in 1803 and achieved such success that by 1830 his name became virtually synonymous with the growth of Mirecourt into a major European center for the instrument trade. So much so that various shops in France and Germany began utilizing his name to brand trade instruments immediately after his death in 1837, including Laberte and JTL to name a few.

There are but a few firms who one might claim have contributed to and shaped our industry as much as that of JTL, a powerhouse of craftsmanship operating from 1857-1968, which produced as many as 150,000 instruments, bows, and other products yearly at its height and employed over 1000 craftsmen. Their extensive catalogue and collections serviced every niche of the classical music industry, ranging from commercial instruments a child might start their musical journey on to definitive works still honored and sought after today by performers and collectors alike, as well as everything you could imagine in between.

This beautiful French viola labeled, “Breton Brevete De S.A.R.M.E” was crafted in the mid to late 1870’s in the JTL Workshops and offers a quality in craftsmanship that is typically not readily seen from like-branded trade instruments even a decade later. The length of back measures a shade under 408mm, effectively, 16” in American terms. However, its voice is commanding and powerful, delivering a strength and quality that that violists tend to find only in larger instruments of higher valuation; clear and immediate, with ample resistance for even the most demanding of performers.