Nicolas Lupot – The French Stradivari

Nicolas Lupot (1758-1824)

Although born in Stuttgart, Germany, Nicolas Lupot rose to become one of France’s most celebrated luthiers. Lupot’s family had roots in the violin-making center of Mirecourt, and at the time of his birth, his father, François Lupot, was serving as the court lute and violin maker to the Duke of Württemburg. After the family moved to Orléans in 1769, Lupot began training in his father’s workshop.

In 1794, Lupot moved to Paris, where he began working for François Pique. Lupot and Pique quickly became friends, and their relationship would remain professionally and personally successful for the rest of their lives. Lupot opened his own atelier in the Rue de Grammont in 1798. During this time period, he developed his mature style, which eventually earned him the nickname “the French Stradivari.” Lupot studied the works of the Cremonese masters, particularly Stradivari and Guarneri, very closely and modeled his instruments after theirs. The resulting violins produced a full, vibrant, and powerful tone that set Lupot apart.

Lupot’s excellent instruments sparked French interest in Italian Baroque violins, and he became a highly sought-after luthier and teacher. By the time Lupot moved his workshop to the Rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs in 1806, his reputation was secure. Lupot’s craftsmanship won government favor despite the political upheaval of early nineteenth century France. Napoleon appointed him violin maker to the imperial chapel in 1813, and when the Bourbon monarchy was restored, Louis XVIII maintained Lupot’s position at the newly renamed royal chapel.

Even after his death in 1824, Nicolas Lupot’s impact remained palpable in France for decades to come. He trained the next generation of influential French luthiers, including Charles François Gand, who eventually inherited Lupot’s workshop, and Auguste Sébastian Philippe Bernarndel. Although Jean Baptiste Vuillaume never apprenticed under Lupot, Vuillaume used Lupot’s models as a jumping off point for his own style. In many ways, Lupot’s work can be considered the foundation for France’s culture of violin-making through the twentieth century.