George A. Chanot

George Chanot was born in Mirecourt in 1801. He trained in violin making with his father in Mirecourt before moving to Paris at the age of 18. There he worked with his brother François Chanot to develop the cornerless “guitar-violin”, alongside J.B. Vuillaume. The two men both moved on to work with Nicolas Antoine Lété, and Chanot also worked at the Gand Workshop. He may have worked with Jean Laurent Clement as well.

Chanot established his own workshop in 1823, but he didn’t stay rooted in Paris. He traveled around the world, gaining a comprehensive knowledge of different techniques. In Spain, Portugal, Germany, and England, and Russia, he networked with violin-makers and established the significance of his brand. His work is on par with the most successful violin makers of the century, and it was revered in Paris and in the world. Today he is known as one of the masters of the French violin making school.