Categories: SOLD

After the turn of the century, in a small village near Mirecourt, France, noted violin maker Charles Delignon had a son. Young Louis grew up at the feet of his father, spending his childhood among the maple shavings and ebony dust. He started with simple jobs, roughing-out backs and sweeping the floors, but quickly grew in talent and skill. From his fathers bench, he went on to study with a ‘who’s who’ of the French violin world…Georges Apparut, Lucien Francais, Louis Billotet and Collin Mezin. He was only 27 years old when he struck out on his own to establish a workshop. This violin is a warm, chocolate brown with a stunning one-piece back and has a tone every bit as rich as the makers heritage.

The windows of the workshop were open, letting the hot summer air trickle in. It did not provide much relief from a July summer in Mirecourt, but the earthy smell of the River Madon helped to disperse the various oils and resins being mixed for varnish. Piles of wood for tops and backs balanced on tables while patterns and forms hung haphazardly on the walls.

The young man hunched over his work, hoping to escape the notice of the Maestro. The head of the workshop had a keen eye for the smallest of mistakes and the maker was determined to show his best work. The soft talking of his colleagues faded away and minuscule curls of wood peeled off his knife blade as he meticulously shaped the f-holes. He hummed softly to himself, lost in the work of creating two identical, beautiful openings on the face of the instrument. He looked up to see the Maestro standing at his side, quietly saying “Bien…bien…”