Born in Mirecourt, France in 1842, Nestor Audinot learned the craft of violinmaking from his father, Leopold. In 1863, Audinot traveled to Paris to work with Sebastian Vuillaume, nephew of the famous violinmaker and dealer Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. Audinot worked with Sebastian Vuillaume for five years, leaving in 1868 to start his own business just a few blocks away. It is likely that Audinot actually made many of the later violins that would bear Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume’s label, and he took over the Vuillaume workshops when both Sebastien and Jean-Baptiste passed away in 1875.

Audinot had a healthy output of instruments, making well over 500 during his career. He made violins primarily on Stradivari and Guarneri “del Gesù” models. Our violin is a Stradivari model offered in an extremely pure, nearly mint state of preservation.