This bass viol is based on an original 17th century model by French maker Michel Colichon. From the knowledge available, he probably was the luthier who added a seventh string. In doing so, what we refer today as a French viol would become an important instrument, deeply changing the music of that time. The head of this viol has been carved with a detailed head of a woman. The intricate gold painting on the front is the only subtle decoration which enhances the visual aspect of the instrument.
Length 130 cm
©Bernard Guillemet
©Mathieu Pradels
©Bernard Guillemet
©Bernard Guillemet
Mathieu Pradels
- Luthier
- Paris, France
- Master Artisan
- Recommended by French Savoir-Faire Institute (INMA)
Contact
French, English, Italian
Hours:
By appointment only
By appointment only
Phone:
+33 608453137
+33 608453137
©Bernard Guillemet
Soundtracks of making
- • Mathieu started to enjoy repairing instruments at 16
- • For him, it is much more than a job: it is fun
- • He truly values the traditions of these instruments
Mathieu Pradels played the violin when he was a child, but he was never very good. He was more intrigued by the instrument itself. It is this curiosity that launched him into the making of string instruments rather than in the playing of them. After an internship with his cousin who had just started his career as a luthier, Pradels understood that this was his path. He studied in England, where he deepened his knowledge and nourished his passion. The meeting with Judith Kraft, a very well-known and established luthier since the Seventies, changed his life. What he loves most was the manufacture of ancient instruments, such as string instruments, this ability to revive traditions and "soundtracks" of worlds belongs to the past but that, thanks to his art, do not disappear.
Read the full interviewWorks
Photo: ©Mathieu Pradels
Bass viola da gamba
Photo: ©Mathieu Pradels
Bass viola da gamba
This six-string viol is based on a early 17th century viol made by Henry Jaye. It features many techniques of decorations which were commonly found on the instruments of this period. The head is an intricate carving of a woman – the female version of a satyr – who's horns are made of bone and wear a gold painted vegetal crown. Fine relief carving on all side of the pegbox and neck root enhance the beauty of this unique instrument. The geometrical marquetry on the fingerboard and tailpiece contrast with renaissance curves of the gold-painted front. More geometrical purfling designs in the corner and on the back of the instrument, typical of the viols of this era make it a truly unique viol.
Length 130 cm
Photo: ©Mathieu Pradels
6 string bass Viola da Gamba. Probably after Henry Jaye
This six-string instrument is based on a 17th century English viol, probably after Henry Jaye. The head of the viol has been carved with a lion’s head, the fingerboard and tailpiece have inlaid decorations. This instrument is set up with all-gut strings.
Length 130 cm
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