Violin by Didier Nicolas, Mirecourt, circa 1820
About Didier Nicolas
Didier Nicolas, often referred to as Didier Nicolas l'aîné (the elder), was born in Mirecourt in 1757. He was an excellent businessman and an influential figure in the history of French violin making, being one of the first entreprenuers to develop the workshop method of production for which Mirecourt was to become so famous.
His output can be broadly categorised into two separate grades: the first are the extremely fine instruments made by Nicolas himself and the second being the more yellow instruments made in his large workshop. The Nicolas workshop was an enormous undertaking, employing around 500 workers by 1810!
Didier Nicolas died in 1833, leaving the business to his son Joseph. The younger Nicolas continued to produce instruments using the characteristic triangular brand: this was later acquired by the Derazey and Laberte workshops which continued to make Didier Nicolas model instruments into the twentieth century.
About the violin
This violin was made in Mirecourt circa 1820 and follows the typical Mirecourt Stradivari pattern. It is an example of the very high-quality instruments made by Didier Nicolas himself.
The violin has a one piece back of quarter-sawn maple with ribs and scroll to match. The one piece front is of fairly fine-grained spruce and the varnish is the characteristic reddish-brown reserved for the highest quality instruments of the Nicolas workshop.
The violin has a length of back of 363 mm.
How does it sound?
This is a real powerhouse of a violin! It loves to play loud: whenever I play it I find myself pushing hard to find its limits. The remarkable thing about it is that underneath all that sound, there's a really delicate and responsive violin with lots of beauty to the tone.
Condition
The violin is in very good condition.
Further information
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