Jean-Baptiste Deshayes SALOMON

Worked in Rheims till about 1747, and then in Paris at the place de l'Ecole; later he settled in the rue de l'Arbre-sec (about 1769). He died before 1772, for in that year Namy is mentioned as working for the widowed Madame Salomon. He made few violins, but they show good work, and are on a similar pattern to those of Louis Guersan, his contemporary; they have yellow-brown varnish. A viola d'amore of his is in the Paris Conservatoire Collection; he also made good bass viols. A few of his violoncellos are of excellent wood and have a fine tone, but in others the varnish is hard and the tone poor. Labels: " Salomon, luthier, a Ste Cecile, place de l'Ecole a Paris, 1751, ' and "Parisiis apud Salomonem ad insigne Sta Caecilia Scolie Palatio, 1752." He also sometimes branded his instruments with " Salomon a Paris." His widow continued the business for some time after his death, moving about 1788 to quai de la Megisserie.