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Iconography
Birth : 1873 in Mattaincourt (Vosges) Death : 1958 in Mattaincourt (Vosges)

Biography

Career
Marius DIDIER began his apprenticeship in 1886 at the age of thirteen in THIBOUVILLE LAMY's workshop in MIRECOURT, under the direction of Joseph CHEVRIER. There he befriended Joseph AUBRY and Paul KAUL.
Particularly gifted, DIDIER occupied all the positions in the workshop before finally joining "le Chantier des Artistes" ("the Artists' Workshop") where the best instruments were built.
His moral and human qualities as well as his skillfulness led him to eventually take the direction of THIBOUVILLE LAMY's violin making workshop in MIRECOURT. (1)

In 1925, upon the death of Victor CHEVRIER, Joseph CHEVRIER's son, Marius DIDIER expected to be handed the position of Director. As the job was given to André CHEVRIER, son of Victor, Marius DIDIER decided to leave the firm after almost forty years of collaboration and established his own workshop in Mattaincourt.

His son Paul DIDIER, who had just finished his apprenticeship joined him soon thereafter as a collaborator. Paul stayed with his father until 1936 at which date he left the workshop in Mattaincourt to open his own workshop in Metz.

Works
Marius DIDIER's production, instruments personally signed between 1925 and 1950 include:
300 violins
10 violas
60 cellos
20 viola di Amore
20 double basses

Label & Stamp
Stamped : M DIDIER MATTAINCOURT in various places to the inside :
- neck block
- top
- back
Label with signature

Honors & awards
1894 Silver Medal, Paris Exhibition
1904 Silver Medal, Milan Exhibition
1922 Diplome d'Honneur Rio de Janeiro Exhibition
1926 Grand Prix Hors concours Meilleur Artisan de France
1927 Médaille d'Or, Concours de l'Artisanat, Paris.
1926 Officier d'Académie.

Collaborators & successors
BAUER Jean
BILLOTET LouisFerdinand
DIDIER Paul (his son, from 1929 to 1936)
MOREL René
SIMON Marcel
SIMONIN Marcel
WOLF Hans

Sources
1 - (Didier J. 1997)
(More specific publication references are available in our Bibliography section.)

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