Vuillaume

Vuillaume, who carried on his business on a great scale, and with all the advantages of capital at his back, and an active spirit of investigation to urge him on, studied deeply the theory which underlay the art of violin making; and he placed at the disposal of Savart, the French philosopher, the most costly and valuable specimens of the old Italian makers for the purposes of experiment, the full results of which have long since appeared in print. We have also Vuillaume to thank for practically the whole history of the art, to gather materials for which he several times travelled to Italy, and, with perseverance worthy of all praise, spent both money and labour in the task of getting together all sorts of information as to dates and other details respecting the great Cremonese masters. The results of his labours were given to the world in his famous work, "Antonio Stradivari; Paris. Vuillaume, violin maker, 1856," which was carefully edited by Fétis.

Vuillaume of Paris made excellent bows, and even founded a school of bow-making. Many bows that don't sell as his are stamped "d'après Vuillaume," "scuola de," which is certainly more respectable than a forged label to which violin dealers do so commonly resort.