As early as the time of Stradivarius ( 1644 - 1737 ), we find instruments decorated with carvings, with inlaid work, with encrustings of ivory or mother of pearl.
One hundred years later, Vuillaume knew a totally different cultural period; the beginning of the industrial period. The challenge of the virtuoso Paganini , and the Victorian severness swept aside the ornament and the decorum of the baroque style. The well known French Luthier, genius in the art of copying , inventor, industrial forerunner, has seen plenty of Stradivarius instruments in his workshop. He sacrificed, to his master's memory, the decorated pegs and tailpieces, that one can find today on the most beautiful violins of the 18th century, such as Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri. For those, he used decorative motifs inspired by his own period, such as the rosebud, the fleur-de-lis, the acanthus leaf and the shell. |
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| Pegs | Tailpieces | Chinrests |
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These pieces are generally made in Boxwood, but they can also be in Ebony. A judicious choice will be dictated by the instrument itself, as well as the colour of it's polish. |