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Biography

 Constant Pierre says that under the emblem "A LA RENOMMEE", these two makers, who appear separately in professional almanacs or instruments, unite on different occasions to produce various instruments".(1)
There are disagreements as to the precise length of this collaboration. For one it lasts from 1781 to 1791 (1), while another says that it lasted until 1811.(3)
Our research has found the earliest mention of this collaboration to be 1760, when it appears on a reference label in the R. Vannes dictionary. This exact date according to JACQUOT being the date when CHATELAIN established himself on the rue de Braque. (2)

On certain instruments, besides their combined label, one can find either CHATELAIN's stamp, as in the 1787 cello shown on our website, #433, or RENAULT's stamp, as mentioned by JACQUOT, and as described by Florence Getrault concerning an archicistre in her book "Instruments et Luthiers Parisiens XVIII- XIX siecles". (4)

What surprises us the most, when clearly these two makers were active a large part of the XVIII century , is that their names are not even mentioned in the reference book about the Parisian school of violin making by Silvette Millot.

Instruments
Besides instruments of the violin family, one can find bearing the joint label Renault & Chatelain :  Cistres, Archicistres, Harps, Theorbos, and Viols.

Label & Stamp
- Label seen in two cistres, one dated 1785, bearing the n° 260 (Paris Conservatory), the other dated 1786 (Brussels Consevatory).
“rue de Braque, au 1°, au coin de la rue Saint Avoye” (1)

- Label seen in the 1787 cello shown at #433 :
"Renault & Chatelain, rue de Braque, au
Coin de la rue Saint Avoye, A Paris, 1787."
This instrument bears the following stamp over the label, and under the heel of the neck:
CHATELAIN A PARIS

- Label shown in JACQUOT 's dictionnary (2)
"A LA RENOMMÉE,
Rue de Braque, au Marais
RENAULT & CHATELAIN,
Luthiers font & vendent, louent,
achetent & racommodent toutes
sortes d'instruments de Musique
On y trouve aussi toutes sortes de
cordes pour les instruments : le tout
à juste prix A PARIS"

- Printed label in an archicistre shown in  Florence Getraut's book. (4)
"Renault et Chatelain, rue de Braque au
coin de la rue Saint Avoye, A Paris, 1763."
This instrument bears a stamp on the table,( under the rose), and on the lowest rib near the button.
SB RENAULT / A. PARIS.

Workshop
1777 - 1789 rue de Braque (1)
1798 - 1799 rue de Berry (1)

Sources
(1) - (Constant P. 1971. reprint de l'édition 1893)
(2) - (Jacquot A. 1985 reprint de l’edition 1912)
(3) - (Vannes R. 1981)
(4) - (Gétraut Florence. 1988)
(5) - (Millot S. 1997)

 

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