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Iconography
Birth : 1851 in Mirecourt (Vosges) Death : 1912 in Lyon (Rhône)

Biography

Career
Paul BLANCHARD started his apprenticeship under Auguste DARTE in MIRECOURT.
He then joined Edmond DANIEL in Marseille where he is trained in the restoration Field.
After J.F. Schmitt, he is supposed to have worked with Jean-Baptiste VUILLAUME, before joining Hippolyte Chrétien SILVESTRE's workshop in 1865.

Workshop
In 1876 BLANCHARD left Hippolyte Chrétien SILVESTRE to establish his own workshop at n° 77 rue de la République in Lyon, where he became an appointed maker of the Lyon Music Conservatory.

Works
Before 1885, BLANCHARD’s work was influenced by SILVESTRE’s style. After this date, his work changed and become more personal with flatter fluting and thicker purfling, thicker ribs and, generally, a shiny and transparent red varnish.
Some instruments coated with a varnish displaying some areas largely shaded away were made during the last part of his life.
Beside BLANCHARD’s master instruments, one can find very good quality workshop production that is unstamped and generally signed on the inside table.
Around 1200 instruments of high and average quality were made in BLANCHARD’s workshop, generally after A. STRADIVARI and Joseph GUARNERI DEL GESU patterns, and some after AMATI.
As a one-time partner of JB VUILLAUME, Paul BLANCHARD was inspired by this master’s methods when he developed a production of student quality instruments crafted in white by various MIRECOURT workshops and varnished in his own workshop. These instruments are labelled “marque déposée LUGDUNUM anno” and are generally dated. This trademark was continued through the beginning of the twentieth century by Marc LABERTE.

Bows
Bows bearing BLANCHARD's stamp have been made by different makers. Among them one can find :
- BARBÉ Auguste
- BAZIN Charles Nicolas
- THOMASSIN L. J.

Labels and Stamps
BLANCHARD’s instruments are branded internally on the blocks, signed on the table, and labelled.
Before 1885 his instruments did not bear the external brand "PB". 
After 1885, they were branded "PB" on the lowest ribs, beside the button, with some rare exceptions as the violin dated 1906 on display in our website which doesn't bear the brand.
The labels bear the date of production and the number of the instrument.

BLANCHARD’s workshop instruments are not branded or numbered, but signed on the inside table. The label carried merely the date.

Collaborators and Successors
Paul BLANCHARD died in 1912 leaving Emile BOULANGEOT as his successor.

Some of BLANCHARD’s collaborators included:
APPARUT Georges (1892-1893)
BOULANGEOT Emile (1909-1912)
BRUGÈRE Charles Georges (1882-1885)
CONÉ Georges (1896-1912)
DITER Justin Victor (1890-1896)
LORANGE Paul (1890-1896)
LAURENT Emile fils (1894-1896)
MOUGENOT Léon Victor (1880-1894)

Awards and medals
- 1889, Silver medal. Paris. Exposition Universelle.
- 1894, Grand Prix. Lyon, Exposition Universelle, International, Coloniale.
- 1900, Gold medal. Paris. Exposition Universelle.

Sources
La Lutherie Lorraine et Française. Albert JACQUOT.
La Lutherie Lyonnaise. Jean Frédéric Schmitt.
(More specfic publication references are available in our Bibliography section.)

 

 

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