“Vuillaume – a great artist!”

Although the original Vuillaume quartet has been dispersed, the cello remained with Vieuxtemps’ family, passing to Henri’s great-grandson, Jean François Vieuxtemps, an amateur player. It is presently in the possession of his great-great-grandchildren.

Its condition reflects that intimate history. It was evidently not made as a copy, with shaded and softened varnish, and it still looks strikingly new; only in the upper shoulder of the back is the varnish at all worn. It is rather pale in colour, especially on the front, however, and it may have faded a little over the years, perhaps left on display in the family home rather than hidden in a case. Nevertheless, the texture is delicate and the surface undisturbed, even retaining small dust motes in the volutes of the scroll, almost fresh from the brush.

It is a fine Stradivari model, the scroll in particular an immaculately carved reproduction of the Golden Period. The body follows Stradivari’s ‘B’ form, one of his greatest and most innovative designs, introduced in around 1707. The materials throughout are of the finest; the back is of two matched quartered pieces, with a very regular and perfect rising flame, fading a little in the lower flanks. The ribs are matching, and the front is from particularly striking matched pieces of strong-grained spruce marked with a dramatic bear-claw figure.

The sound holes are precisely cut and positioned, but the lower wings are a little narrow, a feature shared with the Sheremetev cello Vuillaume made a few years later in 1865, as part of another prestigious quartet.

The Violin – Lot 44

A fine partner for this magnificent cello is another beautifully preserved violin by Vuillaume, a wonderful ‘Messie’ copy made in 1856, according to the inscribed date and the number ‘2173’ in the upper back.

The violin belonged to Olivier Jaques (1920-2005) who was originally a concert violinist with the Zurich Tonhalle orchestra, but later became an architect. He continued his deep interest in the violin, building a fine collection of Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesù, and particularly the work of J.B. Vuillaume, including some of the finest in existence, notably the decorated “Tsar Nicholas” of 1841 and “Caraman de Chimay” of 1865. Instruments from this collection were previously shown as part of the Sotheby’s Vuillaume exhibition in 2012, and this example was outstanding.

Vuillaume obtained the original ‘Messie’ in 1855, after his celebrated journey to Milan to secure Tarisio’s collection following the great collector’s death. What is particularly interesting about this violin is that Vuillaume has made it with a ‘baroque’ neck. It is presently blocked up a little at the root, but it was never morticed into the top block, and two holes can be seen in the upper block, where presumably nails once secured the neck in authentic style. From the detailed observation evident in the rest of the violin, this example may have been made before Vuillaume ‘modernised’ the original ‘Messie’, perhaps as a reminder of its original state. Whatever the case, it is quite remarkable.