Joseph Francois Breton
Mirecourt, worked 1740–1799
Large Stradivari model, a little crude in execution, and generally second class materials used. Varnish of the ‘Vieux Paris’ type, thick and brown in colour, prone to craquelure. Branded on back: ‘Breton à Paris’. — John Dilworth
Worked
Mirecourt
Made
Violin
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Auction Price History
Highest auction price
£3,315
73 results
| Type | Details | Auction house | Sold | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violin | Lot 13 | Aguttes | March 2026 | £433 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand to the button Lot 720 | Vichy | December 2025 | £1,381est. € 1.500-2.000 |
| Violin | Branded Breton L'hutier Lot 617 | Vichy | December 2025 | £905est. € 1.000-1.500 |
| Violin | Labelled Mathias Albani Lot 2063 | Vichy | December 2025 | £604est. € 600-800 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand to the back Lot 671 | Vichy | June 2025 | £759est. € 700-800 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand to the back, original neck Lot 54 | Aguttes | June 2025 | £1,582est. € 2.000-4.000 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brands to the nut and internally, one-piece back Lot 28 | De Baecque | April 2025 | £387est. € 350-400 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand, table cracks, many restorations Lot 566 | Laurent | December 2024 | £1,600est. € 800-1.000 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brands to the back and button, fair condition Lot 361 | Laurent | December 2024 | £2,024est. € 1.500-2.000 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label, one-piece back, varnish of a golden brown colour Lot 92 | Millon & Associés | June 2023 | £134est. € 100-200 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label Lot 867 | Vichy | May 2023 | £1,766est. € 1.200-1.500 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label and brand to the button Lot 773 | Vichy | May 2023 | £912est. € 1.000-1.500 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brands to the back and button Lot 905 | Vichy | November 2022 | £3,315est. € 2.000-3.000 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label Lot 504 | Vichy | November 2022 | £2,785est. € 1.500-2.000 |
| Violin | Branded Breton Lot 2124 | Vichy | November 2022 | £535est. € 500 |
| Viola | Labelled Breton L'Hutier, baroque set-up Lot 2 | Vichy | December 2021 | £2,111est. € 1.500-2.000 |
| Violin | Branded Breton L Hutier Lot 2105 | Vichy | November 2021 | £508est. € 500 |
| Violin | Unlabelled, branded to the inside back Breton, Breveté, De S. A. R. M. Lot 82 | Tarisio | October 2021 | £3,045est. € 1.200-1.800 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label and brand Lot 295 | Pousse | July 2021 | £165est. € 30-40 |
| Violin | Labelled Breton Brevete, de S.A.R.M., e, branded Lot 211 | Brompton’s | March 2021 | £960est. £ 800-1,200 |
| Viola | Branded Breton l'Hutier Lot 2012 | Vichy | December 2020 | £1,022est. € 500 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label Lot 2116 | Vichy | December 2020 | £2,691est. € 700 |
| Violin | Labelled F. Breton Brevete ..., branded Breton on the button Lot 2451 | Gardiner Houlgate | December 2020 | £480est. £ 300-500 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label and brand Lot 2257 | Vichy | September 2020 | £661 |
| Violin | Branded Breton l'Hutier à Paris Lot 1075 | Vichy | July 2020 | £863 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brands Lot 911 | Vichy | November 2019 | £2,156est. € 700 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand Lot 917 | Vichy | November 2019 | £1,540est. € 1.000 |
| Violin | Labelled F. Breton Brevete de S.M.G. Ne. la Duchesse d'Angouleme à Mirecourt 18..., branded Breton Lot 2422 | Gardiner Houlgate | September 2019 | £504est. £ 250-350 |
| Violin | Branded Breton luthier à Paris Lot 706 | Vichy | June 2019 | £1,100est. € 600 |
| Violin | Labelled F. Breton, brevete, de S.M.G., Me. la Duchesse ... Lot 43 | Brompton’s | June 2019 | £480est. £ 400-600 |
| Violin | Branded, two-piece back, craquelled varnish of a red brown colour on a golden ground Lot 168 | Apollium | May 2019 | £1,938est. € 800-1.200 |
| Violin | One-piece back, varnish of a golden brown colour Lot 172 | Apollium | May 2019 | £1,734est. € 900-1.000 |
| Viola | Labelled Breton Brevete De S.A.R.M. Lot 128 | Brompton’s | May 2019 | £1,320est. £ 600-1,000 |
| Violin | Labelled Breton Brevete de S.A.R Me. Lot 47 | Brompton’s | December 2018 | £531est. £ 500-800 |
| Small Violin | Labelled Breton Brevete De S.A.R.Me. Lot 265 | Brompton’s | December 2018 | £236est. £ 400-600 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand Lot 857 | Vichy | June 2018 | £1,261est. € 800 |
| Violin | Stamped internally Breton Brevete de S.A.R Lot 165 | Brompton’s | May 2018 | £300est. £ 400-600 |
| Violin | Tom Paley collection, branded internally Breton Brevete ..., further stamped on the button Breton Lot 272 | Brompton’s | December 2017 | £253est. £ 300-500 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label Lot 755 | Vichy | June 2017 | £1,148est. € 800 |
| Violin | Violin Lot 1040 | Gardiner Houlgate | March 2017 | £528est. £ 200-300 |
| Violin | Branded Breton L'Hutier à Paris Lot 510 | Vichy | November 2016 | £1,330est. € 800 |
| Violin | One-piece back, table of large and irregular grain, varnish of brown colour on a golden ground Lot 93 | Apollium | November 2016 | £1,428est. € 1.400-1.600 |
| Small Violin | 7/8 size violin, one-piece back of light horizontal curl Lot 1097 | Il Ponte | October 2016 | £214est. € 300-400 |
| Violin | Labelled F. Breton Brevete ... Lot 1022 | Gardiner Houlgate | September 2016 | £36est. £ 50-80 |
| Violin | Labelled Francois Breton brevete de S. M. G., Me. La Duchesse d'Angouleme a ... Lot 396 | Brompton’s | June 2016 | £780est. £ 600-1,000 |
| Violin | unfitting Lot 112 | Vichy | March 2016 | £69est. € 100 |
| Violin | Labelled F. Breton, brevete de S.M.G. Mme la Duchesse d'Angouleme a ... Lot 278 | Brompton’s | December 2015 | £1,080est. £ 1,000-1,500 |
| Small Violin | Labelled F. Breton, brevete de S.M.G. Me la Duchesse d'Angouleme a Mirecourt ... Lot 279 | Brompton’s | December 2015 | £240est. £ 500-800 |
| Violin | Labelled Breton Brevete ..., branded on the button Lot 1050 | Gardiner Houlgate | September 2015 | £192est. £ 120-160 |
| Violin | Branded Breton à Paris internally Lot 910 | Vichy | June 2015 | £1,321est. € 1.500 |
| Viola | Unlabelled, branded internally Breton Brevete de S.A.R.M. Lot 188 | Brompton’s | June 2015 | £720est. £ 600-1,000 |
| Violin | Stradivari copy Lot 846 | Gardiner Houlgate | December 2014 | £384est. £ 100-150 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label Lot 80 | Apollium | October 2014 | £217est. € 100-150 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand to the back Lot 834 | Vichy | June 2014 | £388est. € 300 |
| Violin | Labelled Breton Brevete de S.A.M. Me. Lot 190 | Brompton’s | March 2014 | £1,476est. £ 1,000-1,500 |
| Small Violin | Three-quarter size violin Lot 868 | Gardiner Houlgate | September 2013 | £168est. £ 100-150 |
| Violin | Labelled as above, also Choisi par Leon Bernardel, Luthier, stamped Breton, of a yellow orange colour Lot 276 | Bonhams | August 2013 | £137est. £ 300-400 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand Lot 2114 | Vichy | June 2013 | £410est. € 200 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand to the button Lot 624 | Vichy | June 2013 | £666est. € 400 |
| Violin | Two-piece back of faint medium curl, table of medium even grain, varnish of a golden brown colour Lot 312 | Gardiner Houlgate | June 2013 | £456est. £ 400-600 |
| Violin | Labelled J. F. Breton, Eitharae Fabricator, Facit, Vendit Re-concinat Instrumenter Musica Omnis ... Lot 220 | Brompton’s | March 2013 | £1,476est. £ 1,200-1,800 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label Lot 950 | Vichy | December 2012 | £1,364est. € 800 |
| Violin | Branded Breton luthier à Paris Lot 67 | Vichy | December 2012 | £1,171est. € 1.200-1.500 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brand internally and to the button Lot 267 | Vichy | December 2012 | £1,463est. € 2.000-2.500 |
| Small Violin | 3/4 size violin, one-piece back, varnish of a golden brown colour Lot 65 | Millon & Associés | October 2012 | £581est. € 200-300 |
| Violin | Lions head, labelled F. Breton Brevete ... Lot 57 | Gardiner Houlgate | October 2012 | £576est. £ 500-700 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's label Lot 876 | Vichy | June 2012 | £731est. € 300 |
| Violin | Violin, 1825-30 c. Lot 209 | Vichy | June 2012 | £2,135est. € 1.500-1.800 |
| Small Violin | Half size violin, labelled and branded Breton on the button Lot 473 | Gardiner Houlgate | June 2012 | £384est. £ 200-300 |
| Violin | Violin, 1819 Lot 13 | Dorotheum | March 2012 | £2,085est. € 3.000-4.000 |
| Violin | Violin Lot 91 | Giafferi | March 2012 | £282est. € 400-500 |
| Violin | Violin Lot 159 | Giafferi | March 2012 | £161est. € 300-400 |
| Violin | One-piece back, varnish of a golden colour Lot 51 | Millon & Associés | March 2012 | £401est. € 250-300 |
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Biographies
The overview above is drawn from the following published accounts. Read them in the original:
John Dilworth+
BRETON, Joseph François Worked circa. 1740-1799 Mirecourt France. Large Stradivari model, a little crude in execution, and generally second class materials used. Varnish of the ‘Vieux Paris’ type, thick and brown in colour, prone to craquelure. Branded on back: ‘Breton à Paris’. Label of violin in Berlin Museum: J. F. Breton, citharae-fa / bricator, fecit, vendit et re- / concinat instrumenta musica / omnis generis Parisiis anno, / 1780 Sometimes signed on interior. Common label: Breton L’Huthier à Paris
Cecie Stainer+
Worked in Paris, 1740-80. His instruments are rather heavy in character, but are fairly well made, varnish a dark brown colour, ” Breton a Paris” is branded on their backs.
The same label, dated 1780, was found in a violin.
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