On 8 June 2023, the auction house achieved a world record at €18,600 for a cello by Marius Didier. This first sale, which marked the reopening of the auction house's "Instruments and Bows" department, totalled €185,000*, with 73% of lots sold. Aguttes is aiming to democratise this market, historically reserved for intermediate professionals, and make it accessible to musicians.

Top 4 sales :
1. Lot 56 - Very fine cello by Marius Didier - €18,600 - World record
2. Lot 72 - Beautiful cello bow by Emile Auguste Ouchard fils - €15,996
3. Lot 11 - Violin by Paul Blanchard - € 14,260
4. Lot 74 - Victor François Fétique cello bow - € 10,044

"I'm delighted to say that many musicians responded by coming to the exhibition of our first sale devoted entirely to the quartet's instruments and bows, trying out the instruments and then bidding for them on Thursday 8 June. This made-to-measure service, which gave artists more time to play violins, cellos, violas and bows, as well as more attractive prices than private sales, met a demand that I, as a former musician, wanted to satisfy with the reopening of this historic Aguttes department.

Hector Chemelle, specialist

A world record for a cello by Marius Didier

While the catalogue featured works by renowned master luthiers including Paul Blanchard, Charles Brugère, Émile Mennesson and Auguste Delivet, bidders offered a world record to Marius Didier. A cello (lot 56) by this luthier, who worked as a workshop manager for Thibouville Lamy and then as a freelance luthier in Mattaincourt, more than doubled its high estimate, fetching €18,600.

Lot 56
Very nice cello by Marius Didier Made in Mattaincourt in 1934
Bearing label and iron mark of Marius Didier
Small break on the left ff leg, small crack on the bottom left splint.
Original condition, never opened.
754 mm on the back
Sold €18,600 - World record

Bidders from all over the world

Bidders came from all over the world - Australia, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK - and more than half of the buyers were foreign. These numerous battles between the auction room, telephones and platforms testify to an active market, both national and international. This rigorous and eclectic selection of violins, cellos and bows was aimed at professional and amateur musicians, investors, patrons and collectors.

"The fine results for Marius Didier's cello and our bows demonstrate the keen international interest in these pieces of our heritage.

Hector Chemelle, specialist

The results confirmed a real craze for big names, particularly in French bow making.

Hector Chemelle presented a collection of bows made by such prestigious names as Émile Auguste Ouchard, Louis Bazin, Victor Fétique, François Lotte and Jean Joseph Martin. The work of François Xavier Tourte (1747-1835) made France the home of the modern bow, and his school, considered to be the best in the world, enabled it to remain so down the centuries. Bidders competed for up to €15,996 for a fine cello bow by Emile Auguste Ouchard fils (lot 72). Two other bows particularly caught the eye of connoisseurs: a cello bow by Victor François Fétique (lot 74), which fetched €10,044, and a violin bow by Victor Fétique (lot 58), which fetched €6,820.


         

Lot 72

Fine cello bow by Émile Auguste Ouchard fils
Circa 1925, signed with his father's mark
Pernambuco wood stick with ebony and silver frog and knob, Vuillaume model.
Original headplate and fittings.
Very fine example in excellent original condition, missing two seeds and one silver ring.
Weight: 72.3 g with silk fittings Rod length: 69.7 cm
Sold for €15,996

The birthplace of the violin is Cremona in Italy. Hector Chemelle evokes the curves and proportions fashioned by the Italian masters in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: the modern violin is the perfect result of technical and acoustic experimentation, leading to a model that is still the benchmark; the instrument as we know it has changed little since the eighteenth century. Early pieces continue to be particularly prized by musicians, soloists and concert performers alike. A violin by Paul Blanchard (lot 11), made in Lyon in 1900, fetched €14,260.

Lot 11
Paul Blanchard violin
Made in Lyon in 1900
Bearing original label of Paul Blanchard, iron mark on the front cleat and pen initials on the top
Perfect condition
359 mm on the back
Sold for €14,260

To view all the results of this auction, click here.

REQUEST AN APPRAISAL

Hector Chemelle

Specialist in Instruments & Bows

+33 7 69 02 70 85 - chemelle@aguttes.com

Aguttes Neuilly - 164 bis, avenue Charles-de-Gaulle - Neuilly-sur-Seine

*Amounts with expenses