Talent
Vadim Tsibulevsky
plays a
violin
from Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù”
from Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù”
Purchased: the
bow that
surpasses all others
Purchased: the
bow that
surpasses all others
My colleagues had just wished me a happy vacation during a final Zoom session, and I closed my laptop, thinking it would remain untouched for the time being. Nothing could have been further from the truth. A moment later, the phone rang, and the name Vadim Tsibulevsky—the player of our most prized violin, the Guarneri del Gesù—appeared on the screen. He sounded excited as he told me that, after a long search, he had finally found a bow that paired perfectly with the Del Gesù.
News
24 July 2020
by Frits Schutte
Pursue
We had already reviewed quite a few canes, but now it seemed that one had come our way that surpassed all the previous ones: a Jean Pierre Marie Persoit from around 1840. The cane was part of a private German collection, and the owner seemed willing to sell this particular cane. According to an accompanying certificate from expert Bernard Millant of Paris, the cane was in exceptionally good condition, still featuring the original (open) sheath and the tension knob!
Top Quality
As is always the case with the Musical Instrument Fund, a second opinion had to be obtained for this baton as well. So Vadim and I had to get to work before the owner changed his mind or other interested parties came along. Just to be clear: Persoit bows are rare and highly sought after worldwide! The second appraisal was conducted by two renowned experts, and their conclusion was unanimous: this is a unique bow of the highest possible quality and, indeed, in very good condition. The Persoit is the most expensive bow the fund has ever purchased.
Tourte
Jean Pierre Marie Persoit (1785–after 1866) went largely unnoticed for a long time. Today, experts mention his name in the same breath as that of the famous bow maker François Xavier Tourte (c. 1748–1835). Volunteer Jan Boekhout writes biographies of instrument makers for the Musical Instrument Fund. In his biography of Persoit, he recounts Persoit’s eventful life, which included a brief stint as a captain in Napoleon’s army.
More about Persoit