Nicolas Pierre (Pere) Tourte
c.1700–1764
Violin and bow maker. Father of François Xavier and Nicolas Léonard Tourte, above. Violin cited by Vannes: medium arching with long sound-holes and a nicely cut female’s head in place of scroll. Manuscript label: Pierre Tourte / Fait à Paris, 1747 — John Dilworth
Auction price history
Highest auction price
| Type | Details | Sold | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violin Bow | Ivory 63 g. fluted stick | June 2011 | £18,000 |
Biographies
The overview above is drawn from the following published accounts. Read them in the original:
John Dilworth+
TOURTE, Nicolas Pierre (Père) Born circa. 1700, died 1764 Paris France. Violin and bow maker. Father of François Xavier and Nicolas Léonard Tourte, above. Violin cited by Vannes: medium arching with long sound-holes and a nicely cut female’s head in place of scroll. Manuscript label: Pierre Tourte / Fait à Paris, 1747
Cecie Stainer+
Settled in Paris about 1740. Was a clever bow maker ; his work showed great improvement on that of his predecessors; he used lighter wood and proportioned his bow more accurately, giving it the backward bend indispensable to its elasticity. He invented the nut worked by a propelling and withdrawing screw, the nut and head of the screw were generally of ivory. The bows are elegantly fluted for half or the whole of the length, the head is lighter and more elegant. He had two sons, Xaver and the celebrated François.
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