A Highly Characteristic Workshop Violin from Amédée Dieudonné, Circa 1930.
Amédée Dieudonné (1890-1960) began his apprenticeship at the age of 14 under the auspices of Gustave Bazin, the son of the esteemed archetier, Charles Nicolas Bazin. After five years with Bazin, Dieudonné entered the employ of Hilaire Darche in Brussels, who had established his Belgian workshop in 1886 after working for Charles Gaillard, Nicolas Didier, and N.F. Vuillaume. Dieudonné served in WWI before establishing his own independent workshop in Mirecourt, circa 1920. He spent the next 40 years crafting instruments after the Cremonese masters and perfecting his personal models, sold the world over through some of the trade’s foremost firms and through other makers such as Wurlitzer, Laberte, Millant, Moennig, Mangenot, Blanchard, Enel, Hel, Schmitt, Nadegini, Claudot, Deloget, Pouzol, and others. He had 20 apprentices and assistants from 1920-1957 which included Marcel Voirin, Cristofaro, Guinot, Jean Eulry, Michel Lotte, Rene Bazin, Pierre Claudot, Eugene Maucotel, Jean Streibig, Marcel Thomassin, Rene Quenoil, William Moennig, Ettiene Vatelot, Rene Morel, and Bernard Millant.
Jean Eulry, Marcel Thomassin and Eugene Maucotel were in the employ of Amédée Dieudonné when this violin was made in his workshop, circa 1930. A clean and highly characteristic example of Dieudonné’s personal model with a scintillatingly powerful voice; well-defined, colorful, flexible, clear and articulate - altogether, competitive at any price point.