THE GENIAL HUMBLENESSWhatever you do in your life, your being will be seen in your work. It is for this reason that Jean Pierre Marie Persoit is one of my two favorite bowmakers.
Violin bow stick J. P. M. Persoit 1820/25 Unfortunately for you, and for me, I have in my files the picture of one Persoit only. Even more unfortunately, not every part of this beautiful violin bow is original , but at least has a story to tell, and reveals a lot about the character of this craftsman.
Left bevel This violin bow, or rather the stick only , was found by a dear friend and customer , labeled by Raffin in front of me , as "very lucky" because he found it on a stall in a village fair, and bought it for the huge amount of of fifty thousand old lire. Last year, when I took it to Paris it was estimated thirty-five thousand euro!
Ridge The most important thing, at least for me, is that it allows me to learn some peculiarities of this craftsman.
Right bevel The bow dates back to the period when he worked for J.B. Vuillaume, around 1825, but looking at the choice of material, not all all heavy and light-colored (now you see it dark, but two hundred years of sun would tan anyone), you realize that probably it was not was built for him, but maybe at home, in the evening after dinner. You see, we have to thank Vuillaume for the the great tradition and for the French bow making school , as we will see later on , his laboratory has been critical to reach the level he had. But you cannot really say that he was generous with its workers . You will recall Persoit, he had four children to support, so he did not sleep and worked during his nights. " To put a piece of bread and a stick of butter on the table" as it is said by Francois Malo in Childs' book. Probably this period will be truly served to settle the account with the baker, which probably was not so happy having to accept as payment a toothpick with which he did not know what to do. The conditions of the stick are indeed exceptional, and probably because of the "cross roads" which it followed, it was played very little and it still works perfectly even nowadays.
Frog and button, copy J.F. Raffin Atelier in Paris Another aspect of Persoit's character, apart working hard and get paid very little by Mr. Vuillaume, is that he could not work badly. Although this bow was not addressed to a great musician, it has been carried out in a perfect way and this means that he has not done it so nice because he was well paid , but because he got his fun in building it "He loved to make bows".
Another clue of what he wanted from his work is the source of its tone, always told by Malo in Child' book. .
Think that for years it was thought that his last name was Persois, not Persoit obviously deceived by the acronym of the stamp, P R S. But as you noticed , both in the title of my previous blog and now , I used an abnormal spacing , though not quite equal to that of the stamp. This is because the stamp P R S, is nothing but an old stamp PARIS, Persoit had just filed the "A" and "I " off. The abnormal spacing depends on the different spelling of the two letters. In addition it is believed that the stamp was not even his own idea but Vuillaume's to distinguish the bows made for him by those built for others. Think of how small his mania of grandeur was.
Speaking about aesthetics, the lines of the head are of a rare harmony. The shapes recall F.X. Tourte of course, but they are more serene and lighter than those one of the great master. The cut of the bevels is clear, neat and very important, but despite this, thanks to a different curve of the throat in relation to the line of the cheek, the result that he obtains is much lighter. The effect it has is correlated with the descending profile, which has a line that is falling sharply, even if it is very soft, the slope of the house and the curve of the shoe, owns almost the shape of a smile and if you look at it carefully you will see the joyful and funny spirit of Persoit. I know I made a a little complicated speech, if you had a bow in your hand it would be easier, furthermore I promise you that, as soon as possible, I will post a scheme with all the names of the various parts, but just for now watch it and it will be enough.
The mechanic is perfect! I had the opportunity to let it try to Maestro Boris Belkin and I was immediately offered the exact amount of the value estimated by Raffin. Unfortunately my friend did not sell it and honestly I can understand, it is really amazing. The bow has a round section and the stick is perfectly pulled . The curve, which is also just perfect, is similar to that one used by Tourte, but as this depends on the sensitivity of the craftsman as well as the validity of a project, it makes the bow play in a different way. While Tourte's bow usually have aggressive power, the Persoit's one develop the sound volume in a more soft and enveloping way , even if the sound power is not affected. As said earlier Persoit is not the only bowmaker I love, amazing how sometimes, writing a story you tell two. . So long Paolo. To Daniel
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