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Rare c. 1900 French Cigar-Box Violin – Authentic Trench-Art Folk Instrument
$13,168.62
$17,558.1625% Off
£9,778.44
£13,037.9225% Off
€11,010
€14,68025% Off
CA$18,091.71
CA$24,122.2825% Off
A$19,669.34
A$26,225.7825% Off
CHF 10,428.71
CHF 13,904.9425% Off
MX$235,785.48
MX$314,380.6425% Off
NOK 132,543.49
NOK 176,724.6525% Off
SEK 121,427.85
SEK 161,903.8125% Off
DKK 83,931.52
DKK 111,908.7025% Off
About the Item
Discover a truly evocative piece of musical folk art: an original three-string violin hand-crafted around 1890-1920 from an official French “Manufacture des Tabacs / République Française” cigar box. Its rectangular body still bears the oval tax stamp and hand-cut f-holes, while the slim neck and friction pegs recall the pocket fiddles carried by itinerant musicians and soldiers during the Great War.
• Provenance
Period – The tax seal used only between 1872 and 1926 places the box—and likely the instrument—squarely in the Belle Époque / WWI era.
• Unique Construction – Entirely hand-made using salvaged hardwood, with a sympathetic tailpiece drilled for three gut or wire strings (common in rustic French fiddles).
• Trench-Art Appeal – Instruments like this were fashioned in the trenches and billets as morale boosters; few survive with their original patina intact.
• Display
Study Value – Ideal centrepiece for museums, folk-music collections, or décor highlighting early 20th-century ingenuity. Dimensions and high-resolution photos available on request.
• Condition – Structurally sound with untouched varnish and legible stamps; deliberately left unrestored to preserve historical integrity.
This cigar-box violin captures the resourcefulness of a bygone generation—an authentic conversation starter and museum-worthy artefact ready for the next custodian of its story.
- Dimensions:Height: 20.08 in (51 cm)Width: 4.73 in (12 cm)Depth: 2.76 in (7 cm)
- Style:Folk Art (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1900
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
- Seller Location:Barcelona, ES
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1427243231692
About the Seller
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Established in 2015
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1,923 sales on 1stDibs
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- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Barcelona, Spain
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