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Iconography
Birth : 1840 in Landeville (Vosges) Death : 1918 in Lyon (Rhône)

Biography

Career
Elophe POIRSON was a telegraph operator in Lyon.
According to reports, his interest in violin making appeared after he accidentally broke a violin, which led him to repair it and, in the process, become captivated by the beauty of the instrument, dedicating the rest of his life to this passion.

Works
Jean-Frédéric SCHMITT, expert violinmaker in Lyon, notes in his book on Lyon violinmakers that Elophe POIRSON did not build his instruments himself, but limited his role to varnishing.
He also specifies that several of POIRSON’s violins were made in Turin after a Pressenda model. (1)
Instruments bearing POIRSON’s labels, varied in style, are always of very fine craftsmanship. They are coated with a dark-red varnish on a golden-yellow base. His production mainly consists of violins, but a few rare fine cellos can also be found.
POIRSON’s extensive experiments with varnishes sometimes led him to revarnish certain instruments; in these cases, they bear a “bis” number.
According to René VANNES, POIRSON’s production, spanning from 1876 to 1918, is estimated at around three hundred instruments. (2)

Label & stamp
Elophe POIRSON successively used two types of labels:
The first, printed in Gothic letters, was completed in ink with the serial number and date. It could also be signed by hand.
The second, initially printed, featured a photographic reproduction of his portrait, completed with the serial number and signed by hand.
The printed part was quickly abandoned, the entire text then being handwritten.
Some instruments also bear a small stamp above the button, on the lower ribs, sometimes in double.
(see Iconography)

Honors & awards
- 1889. Bronze medal at the International Paris Exhibition. (3)

Sources
(1) Schmitt, J.-F., 1996
(2) Vannes, R., 1981
(3) Tableaux des expositions de 1798 à 1900. Malou Haine. Avril 2008
(More bibliographic details available in the Bibliography section.)


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