Viola d'Amore by Louis Audinot for sale in excellent condition.
Audinot & Fils was started by Victor Audinot in Paris, France during the early 20th century. Victor, along with others in the firm, made meticulous copies of classical instruments, mostly violins and cellos. He trained his six sons and various other pupils in fine instrument making. This incredibly rare Viola d'Amore was built by his son, Louis Audinot in 1922.
The last 3 photos were taken in September 2000 and show a modification to the tuning system for the sympathetic strings. This odd choice has since been reversed and now all strings can be tuned from the peghead. Included is an extra set of Pirastro sympathetic strings specifically for this instrument (photographed). Sorry, we do not have a period correct bow for this and one is not included.
Please note that tunings vary on these instruments and are changed often
We expect all interested buyers to reach out and ask any appropriate questions regarding this extremely rare instrument. We will do our best to answer your questions but please be patient as we are not staffed with Viola d' Amore players!
Due to its delicate nature we will not be allowing returns on orders that must be shipped. An order for in-store pickup will still be able to take advantage of our standard 7 day return policy.
Fully insured shipping via UPS is $200 within the continental US, for all other locations please inquire.
Below is a short video of this instrument by a local early bowed strings expert, Tina Chancey.
