Chanot Ergonomic Violin - Image 1

Francois Chanot (1788-1825) was the eldest son of Joseph Chanot, a violin maker in Mirecourt, the major French center of this trade. Rather than entering the family business, he studied at l'Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and became a naval engineer. In 1816, after a distinguished career in the navy, he was dismissed because of his suspected sympathies for Napoleon, now in exile after his defeat at Waterloo. During the following few years, Chanot turned his engineering talents to redesigning the violin and the larger instruments of the family. This striking Chanot violin is a unique variation of Chanot's typical, guitar-shaped model. It may also be the earliest attempt to build an ergonomic, bowed-stringed instrument.