Ambroise De Comble

Type	Details	Sold	Price
Violin	Unlabelled, head possibly later	May 2024	£15,477
Violin	36.2 cm Tournai, Mid-18th C.	February 2007	£9,600
Violin	Tournay, 1800 c.	December 2005	£5,588
Violin	1760	October 2003	£8,319
Violin	1796	December 2002	£9,459
Violin	1757	October 1998	£4,600
Cello	1762	May 1995	£2,185
Violin	1760 c.	March 1992	£2,750
Violin	1760 c.	November 1991	£4,620
Violin	1770 c.	September 1991	£7,920
Cello	69.9 cm 1850 c.	November 1990	£2,090
Violin	1750	April 1989	£320
Violin	1772	June 1984	£2,444

George Hart

It is said that he worked in the shop of Antonio Stradivari, and judging Fait a Tournay par from the character of Ambroise de Comble, 1750 the work, together with that of the varnish, it is not unlikely that he did receive instructions from the great Cremonese maker. The varnish is very like Italian; the colour often a rich red, with much body. His instruments are inclined to roughness as regards workmanship, and therefore are not pleasing to the eye. There is a resemblance to the instruments of Stradivari after 1732 in form though not in workmanship, and he would therefore seem to have copied those late instruments. They may be described as of large pattern, flat model, and having an abundance of wood. They are deserving of attention both from the professor and the amateur, the workmanship being skilful and the material excellent. The tone is large, and frequently possesses the richness so much admired in the works of the Italians. This quality is traceable to the soft and flexible nature of the superior varnish with which these instruments are covered. Several Violas and Violoncellos are extant which were made by De Comble.

Cecie Stainer

b at Tournai, Belgium, towards the end of the 17th century. He worked till about 1760. Said to have been in his youth a pupil of Antonio Stradivari at Cremona. His instruments are now scarce. They are extremely well made, of excellent wood, and have a rich full tone, equally good in all the strings, but lacking in brilliancy; the varnish, generally red, is a little dry; the purfling is always in extremely narrow fine threads.
His violins and altos generally follow the Stradivari pattern, well arched, edges and corners rather thick, the purfling very narrow, and the varnish, a beautiful red-brown colour, of good quality.
His violoncellos are especially well made, generally on a small pattern, more arched than that of the violin, the sound-holes and the corners are well cut, but the plates of wood used are too thin. One violoncello has yellow varnish on the front and red varnish on the back and sides, it is well made, although the details are somewhat neglected; it is labelled “Ambroise De Comble a Tournay, 1741 he also used the MS. label: ” Fait a Tournay par Ambroise de Comble, 1750”; labels similar to the latter are dated 1753 and 176—

Willibald Leo Lütgendorff

Einer der berühmtesten vlämischen Geigenbauer, der einer alten Musikerfamilie
entstammte. Er war jedenfalls auch selbst Musiker und ist als solcher
in seiner Jugend als Stipendiat möglicher Weise nach Italien gekommen. Dass
er aber ein Schüler von Stradivari gewesen sei, wie Fétis (der den Name irrig
De Combre schreibt), behauptet, dagegen spricht sowohl die Arbeit De Comble’s,
als auch die Zeit, in der er nachweisbar gelebt hat. Immerhin baute er nach
italienischen Vorbildern, aber er war sorglos in der Wahl des Holzes, vernachlässigte
alle Nebensachen und war unsauber in der Arbeit; dagegen war
sein Lack meist gut. Er gab der Decke gerne einen gelben und dem Boden
und den Zargen einen rothen Lack. Sein Patron ist eher gross als klein, die
Wölbung flach, der Rand dick und die Einlage ungewöhnlich dünn. Der Ton
ist fast immer voll und gut. Im Selhof’schen Auctionsverzeichniss (Haag 1759)
werden Geigen und Violoncelli von ihm aufgezählt; ein Violoncell befindet sich aus der
Snoeck’schen Sammlung (No 587) in Berlin. Ein Streichquartett von ihm besass der Prinz Caraman-Chimay.

Auction price history

£15,477

Biographies

George Hart

Cecie Stainer

Willibald Leo Lütgendorff

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