violin
Hippolyte Silvestre (Christian)
built in Paris in 1888
A violin built by H.C. Silvestre in Paris, 1888. Opus 252.
History of this instrument
The Musical Instrument Fund was able to purchase this violin from a private collector in 1999 thanks to a donation from the Boschuysen Foundation. Experts consider the violin to be one of the finest examples built by Hippolyte Silvestre. Catharina Ungvari, then a violinist with the Lagos Quartet, became the violin’s first player in 1999. In 2003, it passed into the hands of Cécile Gouder de Beauregard. Tessel Hersbach and Olivia Doflein followed. From 2016 to 2025, the Silvestre was on loan to Raquel Campos. Pieternel Tils is the current player of the Parisian violin.
About the builder Hippolyte Silvestre (Christian)
When Hippolyte Jean Chrétien was born in 1845, his mother’s family name was already well known among musicians. Her two brothers, Pierre and Hippolyte Silvestre, built exquisite stringed instruments. One had been trained in the tradition...