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
Auction Price History
Highest auction price
72 results
| Type | Details | Auction house | Sold | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | January 2024 | £1,600est. € 800-1.000 |
| Violin | Bearing the maker's brands to the back and button, fair condition Lot 361 | Laurent | January 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 |
No results match those filters.
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.
Sell your instrument with Amati
Get started by uploading photos of your instrument for our experts to review.
Sell your instrument with Amati
Get started by uploading photos of your instrument for our experts to review.
