Nicolas Bertrand

Nicolas Bertrand was one of the most distinguished and prolific string instrument makers in France, active in Paris around 1687 and deceased around 10 November 1725. His exact dates of birth and of the start of his activity are not known with certainty, so the dates in his biography should be regarded as approximate. His work on viols is considered a fine example of eighteenth-century craftsmanship.

He held the title of faiseur d'instrumens ordinaire de la muzique du Roy, that is, ordinary instrument maker to the King's music. Besides viols, he built other instruments, such as a viol-shaped kit dated 1689, now preserved in the Musée de la Musique in Paris. A posthumous inventory of his workshop, located on the corner of the rue Grenelle and the rue Pélican, reveals a remarkable collection of old and modern instruments, including dozens of viols, five cellos and several pardessus de viole.

At least seven bass viole da gamba signed by him survive, dated between 1687 and around 1720, along with a pardessus de viole of 1701 in the Brussels Conservatoire. His legacy is recognised above all for the quality of his viols and for his reddish-brown varnish, the composition of which he kept secret.