Paul Bailly – Violin Maker – Paris France

Paul Bailly
Violin maker
(1844 – 1907)

A member of a family of Mirecourt violin and bow-makers, Paul Bailly was born in 1844 and studied with Jules Gaillard before moving to Brussels to work for Nicolas Vuillaume. He then moved to Paris to work for Nicolas Vuillaume’s famous brother, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.

He travelled extensively, working in Lille, Douai, Reims and then London and Leeds, and on to America. In 1899 Bailly returned to Paris, where he opened his own shop at 197 rue de Grenelle. Bailly died in 1907, his shop was taken over by his daughter Jenny Bailly, who remains one of the few recorded female violin makers of historical times.

Bailly built a solid reputation with skilled interpretations of classical Cremonese work and in particular of Stradivari models. His cellos are built on a large pattern. Bailly experimented with his varnishes creating widely differing textures and colours.
Bailly’s instruments are known to have a fine tone and are sought after by professional players looking for a fine French violin.