Jean-Baptiste Deshayes Salomon

SALOMON, Jean-Baptiste Deshayes Born 1713 Rheims, d. after 1767 Paris France. Established in Paris on the rue de Grenelle Saint Honoré at the sign ‘Sainte-Cécile’. Married Barbe Deshaies, the widow of J. Ouvrard in 1748. Thereafter adopted the name ‘Jean-Baptiste Deshayes’, and worked in the old Ouvrard shop in place de l’École. Appointed Master of the violin makers guild 1760. Highly successful businessman and dealer in all sorts of musical instruments. Many instruments bearing his name are presumed to be constructed by various outworkers. Chappuy and Guersan models are recognisable, and there is little consistency over his entire oeuvre. Varnish of softer red-brown to hard pale golden-brown. Frequently branded below back button: ‘Salomon’ or ‘Salomon à Paris’ Du Salomon / de Paris, 1740 Salomon / 1742 Salomon Luthier a Ste Cecille / Place de l’ecole a Paris, 1741 Parisiis apud Salomonem ad insign. / Sta Caecilia Scholae Palatio / 1754 Salomon / Maître Luthier à Paris, Rue / l’Arbre-sec à Ste Cecille

Worked in Rheims till about 1747, and then in Paris at the place de l’Ecole; later he settled in the rue de l’Arbre-sec (about 1769). He died before 1772, for in that year Namy is mentioned as working for the widowed Madame Salomon. He made few violins, but they show good work, and are on a similar pattern to those of Louis Guersan, his contemporary; they have yellow-brown varnish. A viola d’amore of his is in the Paris Conservatoire Collection; he also made good bass viols. A few of his violoncellos are of excellent wood and have a fine tone, but in others the varnish is hard and the tone poor. Labels: ” Salomon, luthier, a Ste Cecile, place de l’Ecole a Paris, 1751, ‘ and “Parisiis apud Salomonem ad insigne Sta Caecilia Scolie Palatio, 1752.” He also sometimes branded his instruments with ” Salomon a Paris.” His widow continued the business for some time after his death, moving about 1788 to quai de la Megisserie.

Er soll aus Reims um das Ende der dreissiger Jahre des 18. Jahrh. nach Paris gekommen sein und war vermuthlich ein Sohn oder Bruder des in Reims thätigen Salomon. Er führte das Ladenschild »–À Ste Cecille«, wohnte erst Rue de l’arbre sec und dann Place de l’École, wo seine Wittwe von 1772 an das Geschäft unter Namy’s Leitung fortführte. Sie verlegte dasselbe später nach dem Quai de la Mégisserie und behielt es bis 1789. Salomon war ein ziemlich talentvoller Geigenmacher, den auch seine Collegen schätzten, die ihn 1760 zum geschworenen Zunftmeister erwählten. Seine Arbeit erinnert an die Chappuy’s, sein gelbbrauner Spirituslack dagegen mehr an Guersan. Das Holz zu den Decken hat er genommen, wie er es gerade hatte; den Boden hielt er ziemlich flach; so giebt es recht gute, aber auch sehr mittelmässige Violinen von ihm. Besser sind seine Violoncelli und seine Liebesgeigen. Eine solche mit hübsch geschnitztem Köpfchen besitzt das Pariser Conservatorium (No. 156), eine ähnliche das Conservatorium in Brüssel, eine Violine Berlin aus der Sammlung Snoeck (No. 530). Auch als Harfenmacher wurde er gelobt. Er gebrauchte verschiedene Zettel:

Paris 1730-1772. This maker, whose production has been as great as it has been unequal, is much in demand. The material used is generally good, and the varnish, yellow. Branded near the button, apart from the label. His ‘cellos are particularly sought after when they reach the size. He has left some very nice quintoles with carved heads.