Auguste Sébastien Philippe Bernardel père

Violin maker
(1798 – 1870)

Bernardel père, as Auguste Sébastien Philippe is known, first apprenticed locally in Mirecourt before moving to Paris to work for Nicolas Lupot and, after Lupot's death in 1824, with Charles François Gand. In 1826 he opened his own shop across the ...Read More street from the Gand firm, where he worked steadily for 40 years until his retirement in 1866, when he handed off the business to his sons Gustave and Ernest Auguste, who had worked with him from 1860. The brothers entered into partnership with Charles Nicolas Eugène Gand, forming a prolific and successful firm known as Gand & Bernardel Frères.

Like his teacher Lupot, Bernardel preferred classical Cremonese models, especially Stradivari. Though somewhat eclipsed by the work of his contemporary J.B. Vuillaume, his instruments possess fine workmanship and good materials. His cellos are particularly well regarded. Read Less