Louis Guersan

History

Louis Guersan (circa 1713-after 1781) was born around 1713 and died after 1781 in Paris, France. He was a pupil and later the successor of Claude Pierray. Guersan became a member of the corporation of luthiers in 1748 and was appointed its head in 1769. His workshop was located in the rue Fossé-St-Germain des Prés, and he was also noted to be living in rue de la Comedie-Francaise in 1760 and rue des Fosses St.-Germain in 1769. He was appointed maker and repairer to the Dauphin and to the Opéra. According to Cecie Stainer, Guersan was one of the best French makers of his period and came from a family of violin makers spanning over a century. After leaving Pierray's workshop, he conducted various experiments in altering the arching and thicknesses of his instruments. Willibald Leo Lütgendorff notes that Guersan was the only one from his family to achieve significant fame and was a master of rare manual dexterity, though his works often fell short in terms of tone. He received considerable recognition during his lifetime, serving as a sworn guild master in 1748 and counting both high and low society among his clientele. His work was imitated, leading Lütgendorff to consider him the head of a school.

Craft

• Pattern: Instruments produced by Guersan typically followed a small pattern, often narrow, and with medium arching, though some exhibited a broader Tyrolian aspect, according to John Dilworth. Cecie Stainer notes that the proportions, depth of the sides, and thicknesses varied continually, especially in his violoncellos.
• Head and Fluting: He crafted a very distinctive head with the last turn of the volute extended upwards into a slightly bizarre comma-shaped eye. The fluting of the front face also extended beyond the throat outside the pegbox.
• Materials and Workmanship: Guersan utilized fine materials and, according to John Dilworth, his work was very well executed and finely finished. Willibald Leo Lütgendorff mentions his use of cedar wood for decorations and his skill in carving attractive scrolls and heads. Cecie Stainer also describes his work as beautifully finished.
• Varnish: John Dilworth describes his varnish as pale golden-amber. However, Cecie Stainer and Willibald Leo Lütgendorff state that he used a spirit varnish, which was hard, dry, and either a pale yellow or rose color. This spirit varnish was noted to dry too quickly, paralyzing vibrations and harming the tone, a fact Guersan himself seemed aware of, as he continually experimented with arching and thicknesses to improve the sound. Lütgendorff attributes the introduction of spirit varnish into French violin making to Guersan.
• Instrument Variety: He made a wide range of instruments, including quintons, pardessus de viols, violins, violas, and cellos. Cecie Stainer specifically mentions five-stringed viols, six-stringed viols, and treble-viols.

Influence

• Mentorship: Louis Guersan was a pupil and later the successor of Claude Pierray.
• School: His work was imitated, and Willibald Leo Lütgendorff suggests he can be considered the head of a school of makers.

Legacy

• Market Value: Many of his instruments were made and, according to Cecie Stainer, they fetch good prices.
• Museum Collections: Instruments by Guersan are well represented in various museums. The Museum of the Paris Conservatoire holds several of his five-stringed viols, dated 1747, 1751, and 1755, as well as two six-stringed viols dated 1755 and 1763. A treble-viol in beautiful preservation, dated 1752, is also noted. The Snoeck collection once included a violin from 1734 and a viola from 1752 (now in Berlin), and the Gothenburg Museum possesses a quinton from 1763.
• Dated Instruments: Known dated instruments include violins from 1737, 1744, and 1766, and violoncellos from 1740.

Further Information

• Workshop Locations: His workshop was located in the rue Fossé-St-Germain des Prés. He was also noted to be living in rue de la Comedie-Francaise in 1760 and rue des Fosses St.-Germain in 1769.
• Labels: Examples of his labels include "Louis Guersan / près la commedie Françoise / A Paris 1738", "Ludovicus Guersan / prope / Comoediam / Gallicam / Lutetiae / Anno / 1760", "Ludovicus Guersan prope comediam / Gallicam. Anno 1737", and "Ludovicus Guersan, prope comcediam gallicam, Lutetiae, 1766".
• Opéra Memorandum: In the archives of the Opéra, there is a memorandum from 1749 detailing repairs he performed on the Opéra's double-bass, which indicates that at that time, there was only one double-bass in the orchestra.

Summary

Louis Guersan (circa 1713-after 1781) was a prominent Parisian luthier, pupil and successor of Claude Pierray, and a member and later head of the corporation of luthiers. Appointed maker to the Dauphin and the Opéra, he was known for his distinctive instrument patterns, including a unique comma-shaped volute, and finely finished work. While he experimented with arching and thicknesses, his use of a hard, dry spirit varnish was often cited as detrimental to tone. Guersan produced a wide array of instruments, including violins, violas, cellos, quintons, and viols, many of which are preserved in significant museum collections like the Paris Conservatoire.