Nicolas Lupot was the leading French violin maker of the early 19th century, famed for his magnificent copies of Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù. He employed some of the finest French makers of the days as his apprentices, including Charles François Gand, Auguste Bernardel and Pierre Silvestre. This violin bears features of the work of both Bernardel and Silvestre, particularly its striking one piece maple back and deep wine red varnish, and may have been made in the Lupot workshop in the latter years of Lupot’s life. This violin has a very big and nuanced sound. Its warmth and easy response are striking.