A SUPERB FRENCH VIOLIN BY CARESSA AND FRANCAIS, 1919. TOTALLY ORGINAL, FULLY CERTIFIED AND AUTHENTIC. Start Price USD 5,150.00 Current Price USD 5,150.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, December 01, 2008 End Time Thursday, December 11, 2008 Location Wichita, Kansas See more about 'A SUPERB FRENCH VIOLIN BY CARESSA AND FRANCAIS, 1919.' Description G., B. & J. Ray Fine violins 2525 East Douglas Avenue Wichita, KS 67211 tel: (316) 684-0291 Email wbic@aol.com A good French violin from the Paris workshop of Caressa and Francais, bearing the original label: “Fait sous la Direction de / Caressa & Francais / Luthiers du Conservatoire / 12 Rue de Madrid a Paris ”, and signed on the label in brown ink “1919”. One-piece back is of maple of wide flame, the top of spruce of narrow and straight grain, widening slightly to the flanks. The varnish is of chestnut amber color. Back length is 356 mm. Weight, without chin-rest, is 416 grams. The instrument has come to us in pristine original condition, without damage of any kind. This is not a “modern copy” or a “violin bearing the label of Caressa and Francais”, but is a totally authentic violin of the Paris school, built in the workshop of master luthiers Felix Albert Caressa and Henri Francais, in the first quarter of the last century. From the Henley “Universal Dictionary of Violin and Bow Makers”: "CARESSA and FRANCAIS. Successors to the business of Gustave Bernardel, 1901, now situated in the rue de Madrid, Paris. Felix Albert Caressa, born at Nice, 1866. Pupil of Gand and Brenardel. Decorated Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, 1910. Offeicer of the Academy, 1922. Died 1930. Violins modelled after the Lupot style, many bearing the label of Gustave Bernardel. Henri Francais, born at Mirecourt, 18861. Pupil of Darte, Gand and Bernardel. Officer of Public Instruction, 1911. Producers of all classes of stringed instruments which do justice to the traditions of their predecessors---Lupot, Gand and Bernardel. Makers to the Consesrvatoire, Opera orchestra, etc. Mdelas gained at St. Louis Exhibition, Liege, 1905, etc. Members of the Jury at the Milan Exhibition, 1906. London, 1908, Brussels 1910 and TDurin 1911. Experts at the Civil Tribunal of the Seine." The Caressa and Francais workshop continued in business after the Second World War, but the successor to the firm, Jacques Francais, emigrated to the United States and established a firm in New York City that was, in our opinion, one of the finest violin shops in America. The F-holes on our violin have been worked a bit or “slightly fluted” at the bottom, which we see only in better-quality instruments. The scroll is especially beautiful, a little small, somewhat feminine, showing moderate undercutting, typical of "Paris school" violins of the last century. The Caressa and Francais firm well understood how to graduate the top and back of the few violins me built. The arching is relatively flat and the tone-color is absolutely magnificent, bright and clear, but not brassy....perfect for an advanced violinist or even for the . The instrument has come to nearly perfect condition. If perfect is a “10.0” rating, our violin is a “9.99”. There’s an older scratch to the varnish, under the chin-rest area. With chin-rest in place It’s totally invisible. Have a look at the photos, please. There are no cracks or damage anywhere. We’ve recently submitted the violin to London violin expert Colin G. Nicholls, who has fitted a new bridge, cleaned the instrument and issued his certificate of authenticity for it. Virtually all the better violins in our collection are sent to Mr. Colin Nicholls. Mr. Nicholls trained for eleven years at W.E.Hill and Sons, establishing his own workshop in London more than twenty-five years ago. As a result of his association with Hills and with London auctioneers “Sotheby’s”, Mr. Nicholls has seen and examined untold numbers of Italian, French and English violins. And that’s given him a good deal of credibility in the small world of violin collectors. It’s reason enough for us to submit our violins to him for his expertise, advice and certification. In the event that a European collector might have interest in this superb violin, we can report that our travel schedule calls for two trans-Atlantic journeys between now and the middle of June. And it’s never a problem for us to sling a violin case over our shoulder, to assist a customer in testing a particularly fine instrument. *************************************************************************************** The acquisition of an artist-quality violin can be a frustrating experience. In our opinion, the best means to minimize those frustrations is to try two, even three, instruments side-by-side. Yes, we always have a small selection of late 19th. / early 20th. century violins in our collection and encourage a client to have us send two or three violins, of similar price, to them “on approval”. A small security deposit is required, but full payment for the entire shipment is not required. Those considering the acquisition of an artist-quality violin might be interested in our opinion concerning value and pricing. The value of any violin depends, in our opinion, on many different factors: Condition of the instrument. Any violin that’s sustained damage to the top and especially to the back, will have a lower value than an instrument in pristine condition. Size is crucial to determining value. The ideal length of back is exactly 356 mm. A violin that’s too big or too small will often have a lower value. Cheaper violins have not had the attention given to the proper voicing of the top and backs of the instruments. Many of today’s “better” violins have tops that are often 5 or 6 mm thick. Instruments that have the best sound are those that have tops and backs that have been hand-carved by the maker to “Stradivarius dimensions”: about 2.5 mm under the bridge, a bit thinner toward the edges and 3 or 3.2 mm where the top and back is glued to the ribs. Proper voicing is time-consuming, but results in a violin that has the finest tone quality. The actual maker of the instrument is, arguably, the most important factor in determining value. Please remember that 99.99% of the “Stradivarius” violins in the world wear labels that are false. There are NO “unknown” violins by Stradivarius, Guarnerius, Maggini, Amati, or Stainer. There ARE a few quality German and French violins that bear these labels and also those of the maker. Gary, Beryl and Jonathan Ray are the principals of a small musical instrument emporium located in the center of the USA. In business since 1953, we’ve had the same owner since 1963. Our specialty is better-quality French violins of the first half of the 20th. century. We’re very particular about items we acquire for our clients and give special consideration to violins that have sustained minimal damage or serious repairs. We maintain a repair department capable of restoration work of the highest quality. Even though repairs are essentially “free” and part of our warranty for the first two years, after that period has expired, we remain at your service to maintain and repair your musical equipment forever. It’s our “service after the sale” promise and has been since 1953! Anything we sell can be sent to you for a short approval period without obligation. We collect NO SALES TAX, unless you’re lucky enough to live in Kansas. The customer is responsible for shipping and insurance and must pre-pay back to us any freight and insurance charges on returned equipment. International shipping is available. Returned items will be refunded within 3 weeks of receiving the item. We’re happy to send any instrument “on approval” for ten days, but ask the prospective buyer to pay shipping both ways on any returned item. VISA/MASTERCARD/DISCOVER/MONEY ORDER/CHECK/WIRE TRANSFER ACCEPTED. Credit cards not accepted from some countries and we must ship to the credit card billing address with exceptions made at our discretion. We’re happy to respond to any and all questions about violins and other musical instruments, but please don’t write and ask “What’s granny’s Stradivarius worth?” Regretfully, we are unable to give opinions on stringed instruments without a visual inspection in our workshop in Wichita. **** Place a Bid!