Leading the Scientific & Musical Instruments, Cameras & Fishing Sale at Tennants Auctioneers on the 28th September, was a George Craske violin which sold for £4,200 (all figures excluding buyer’s premium). The son of the bandmaster of the West Suffolk Militia, George Craske (1795-1888) carved out a successful career for himself as a musical instrument maker. It is said that he made 2,050 violins, 300 violas, 250 cellos and 20 double-basses, firmly placing him amongst the best craftsmen of musical instruments in the 19th century.
Following on was a violin selling for £3400 which was labelled 'Ch. J. B. Collin-Mezin Luthier a Paris' indicating its strong craftsmanship, design and robustness. A native of Mirecourt, a town in the northeast of France, which is famous for its violin making, Charles J.B. Collin-Mézin like George Craske, became a prominent maker of musical instruments. Collin-Mezin established his craft in Paris and became one of the most sought out French musical instrument makers of the 19th century. As a mark of his talents, he was awarded gold and silver medals at the Paris Exhibitions in 1878, 1889, and 1900, as well as becoming an Officier de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts. Of Collin-Mézin’s many illustrious clients, Joseph Joachim famously played one of his instruments. Also of interest, a William Haynes flute sold particularly well at £1,500. The company from Boston are widely regarded as one of the world’s leading makers of concert flutes and made headlines in 1993 when Dr Ellen Ochoa aboard the Shuttle Discovery played her Haynes flute during a nine-day science mission, therefore making a Haynes flute the first flute in space.
