Description
A fine silver-mounted violoncello bow by Claude Auguste Thomassin, Paris, circa 1900.
Stamped: AUDINOT / PARIS.
This violoncello bow was probably made shortly after 1901 after Claude Auguste Thomassin (1865-1942) left his employment in the Gand & Bernardel workshop. It is stamped on both sides for AUDINOT A PARIS, the shop of Nestor Audinot at 17 Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle, and a number of bows survive from this period stamped for a variety of Paris shops during a time when he was setting about an independent business. The bow is a typical example for Thomassin very closely influenced by the more prominent work of François Nicolas Voirin. It is a good silver-mounted example, and is presented in immaculate original condition. The buildup of tarnish and patina on the silver parts is a result of a very long period unplayed, possibly from new, and it is sold unpolished.
The Thomassin family emerged out of the saddle-making trade in Mirecourt, and there has been a good deal of misunderstanding about the relationship of the three family members who made bows. The earliest was Louis Thomassin, who trained as an apprentice to the Bazin workshop and in 1871 came to Paris to work directly with François Nicolas Voirin who had left the Vuillaume workshop at the end of Vuillaume’s life. Claude is often cited as his son and pupil, but he was a cousin who also apprenticed in the Bazin workshop and came to Paris in 1885 to be the head of the bowmaking for Gand & Bernardel. Nevertheless, the connection between the two family members seems to be significant as a strong stylistic connection is seen between both of their work, and from the outset Claude Thomassin appears to have had a strong desire to follow the Voirin model as he would have learned from his cousin. When the Bernardel company was taken over by Caressa & Français in 1901 Thomassin started his own business at 37 Rue Paradis. Although Thomassin bows develop a number of characteristics, for example a curved face to the ferrule, they are technically and stylistically true to the Voirin method, perhaps as a result of a conscious interest in perpetuating Voirin’s legacy into a further generation, and as distinct from Eugéne Sartory’s work that emerged out of a parallel tradition.
Certificate: Certificate of Millant-Le Canu & Stephan Jansen, 2022.
Condition notes: The bow is in excellent condition, and is barely or possibly never been played prior to coming to the market. It is preserved in a tarnished state, unpolished.
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