Jean Baptiste Colin, France, 1889

Born in Mirecourt in 1831, Jean-Baptiste Colin made good quality violins with workmanship and varnish typical of his hometown. This handsome, Guarneri-model violin echoes the work of his more famous contemporary Charles Jean-Baptiste Collin-Mezin, both in the broad waist and arching, and in the sound palette, which is vibrant and powerful, with a range of colours. The E string is brilliant and projecting, and the overall tone is responsive and malleable, with a strong, open quality in the higher positions. An even, red-brown varnish enhances the well-selected, attractively-flamed maple back.