Hippolyte Silvestre

Born near Nancy, violin maker Hippolyte Silvestre moved to Paris around the late 1820s to work for J.B. Vuillaume . In 1831 he joined his brother Pierre in Lyon, where the brothers began to produce instruments jointly. Of the two, Pierre is perhaps regarded ...Read More as superior, but both were accomplished as individuals. Built mostly on Stradivari and Guarneri models, their work is of excellent craftsmanship and tone, and is among the finest produced in 19th century France. Varnish is often a dark red, with some antiquing. After Hippolyte's retirement in 1848, Pierre continued to work alone until his death in 1859, at which point Hippolyte returned to violin making until 1865, when the business was passed on to the brothers' nephew Hippolyte Chrétien . Read Less