Johannes Theodorus Cuypers

Born in Dornick in North West Germany in 1724, Johannes Theodorus Cuypers became one of the most important figures in Dutch violin making in the eighteenth century. His training may have taken place at the workshop of Jean Joseph Wattier, a French maker active from 1724 in the Hague, where Cuypers settled, and his earliest known work dates from 1752. His style and workmanship has no real precedent in the Netherlands, but does share some characteristics with French work of the period. He departed from traditional Amatese forms, and during his career adopted many Stradivarian features, most importantly the lower arching, although his soundholes and scroll designs are quite idiosyncratic. The varnish is pale golden brown. His later work is slightly less elegant than his first period, and he was assisted by his sons Johannes Franciscus (1766-1828) and Johannes Bernardus (1781-1840) until his death in 1808.