french maker with the name "G. xxxNIER"

[geigen]

Hi!

...I wonder if anyone is familiar with that label / french maker, I cannot decipher the label since someone has scraped parts off. The label reads "Lutherie Artistique" and then "G. xxxRNIER" or so.

It's a cute french violin with high arching, around 1900.

Thanks,

Anne

[fiddlecollector]

that will be Gustave Fournier, which im sure is a trade name used by one of the French workshops.They often sound quite good though.

[geigen]

thanks!

[fiddlecollector]

They seem t have been imported into the U.K quite alot around 1900-1920, alot appear in Scotland possibly supplied by some of the bigger trade dealers.

Heres a pic of one. (i know a professional violinist who used one for years as a second violin ,he was handed it down by his father.)

[geigen]

... this is mine:

Anne

[fiddlecollector]

Yes they all tend to look very similar,they are better trade violins and ive just remmembered who made them, the Laberte-Magnie (also named later in the 1920`s Fourier or Fournier/Magnie shop) in Mirecourt. Laberte also owned the trade names of Nicolas ,derazey,and others.The firm was run by relatives of Marc Laberte.

Mangenot also produced some instruments with a `J.Fournier ` label.I guess that Fournier was probably an early 19th century maker, whos name was bought by these later workshops as a trademark name.

[geigen]

hm, I don't think they have so much in common... these two violins look rather different in my eyes. Anyway, thanks!

There is still a lot of work to do on that one. Neck is lose, some open seams, saddle, bridge, soundpost and that.

Anne

[fiddlecollector]

It has some differences ,mainly the colour,the one i posted is the more usual colour of fournier violins ,ive seen around 20 and had 3-4 in the past. Yours is possibly made by one of the associated workshops ,Laberte-Humbert violins are often that colour(mirecourt orange) and strangely high arched, very bloated looking when viewed from the side.

[T_Rocca]

your violin reminds me of the Lowendal violins.

the label is too new looking and was damaged on purpose

[jackc]

I had a Breton violin, the one with the triangular label, that looked very much like yours, Anne. That's also a Mirecourt trade name. It had very nice wood though, and was cleanly made. Same color. It looked to me like a good violin, but since it had a post crack in the back, I did not try to restore it, so I never heard the sound of it.

[geigen]

Yes, I agree that it is a trademark violin. The label is very likely original.

Thanks for your answers!

Anne

[miles]

I read your comment on Anne's violin. You mentioned that one of your

violins was restored because of the post crack on the back.

I also have a very nice violin with post crack on the back and would

like to know your concerns about yours. My luthier recommended to have a

patch.

Thanks,

miles

[jackc]

Miles, I said that I did not restore the violn because of the post crack in the back. It also had been subjected to some very poor repairs. But I could tell that it was a decent instrument, or had been.

I just didn't want to spend a lot of time on it, since I couldn't make the post crack go away.

Yes, a patch is the only reasonable repair, and the violin can work well afterwards. But the value of the instrument will be reduced, even with the best repair.