The King Henry IV' violin - Image 1

The original decoration on The King Henry IV violin, found on the sides, back, and scroll of the instrument, is remarkable for its thick application of translucent blue and red pigment layered over gold, which lends a jewel-like quality to the central armorials and two flanking H's on the back. The armorials are an amalgam of significant noble devices, including the conjoined arms of France and Navarre, as well as the medallion of the Order of Saint-Michel, and the collar of the Order of Saint-Esprit. The back of this royal violin bears the armorials of King Henry IV of France and Navarre (1553-1610). The early history of the violin is outlined in a Latin inscription found on the interior of the instrument, which documents the passage of the violin from the court of the French king into the hands of a French courtier, François de Bassompierre (1579-1646). English translation of the inscription: Girolamo Amati made [this violin] for the Chapel of Henry IV in the year 1595. His most distinguished pupils painted [it]. Marshal Bassompierre obtained [it], whose house[hold] kept it for two hundred years. Finally, J. B. Cartier sought it from the Chapel of King Louis XVIII, of whose Academy he is first violinist. The same [Cartier] has brought it to Charles [Francois] Gand, pupil of [violin] maker Nicholas Lupot, in Paris, for the purpose of repairing [it].