Poirson Violin?

A couple of years ago I won a auction on eBay for a violin in need of repair. It was filthy with an open part of the center joint on the table and had clearly not been played for decades. I don’t know where or when it was made. I don’t know whether the pencil writing inside is likely to be by the maker or a 19th century repairer. It is surely a late 18th century early 19th century violin. That is, unless the handwriting inside is inaccurate.

Discussed at quite some length on the Fiddle Talk website some years ago, the mystery of this violin remains unsolved.

The violin is very light in weight and appears reasonably well made, although not at all fully lined or blocked.

The varnish seems to be a yellow, gold and it a very hard varnish. I think it’s original. It has had an historic re-angling (re calibration) of the fingerboard to raise it. I fitted it with a new fingerboard, nut, sound post, bridge, tailpiece and end-pin.

The pencil writing inside appears to read: “Thomas Stone” It might then say “Bretton” but I don’t know. It has a date along with the handwriting. Dec 10 1836. I uncovered the handwriting after carefully removing a lot of very old dust and dirt that was hiding it.

The back of the violin has an engraved brand name but I can’t read it. Does it read Poirson or Pourson?

If it is a Poirson then the only Poirson I am aware of who could have made it is Pierre Poirson of Mirecourt (in France) who only made violins between 1732 and 1742. The image below is from Baxters Databook of Violin Makers.

The purfling has been inked. It appears to have a one piece back. However, on very close examination it is an incredibly finely made two piece back, the join being virtually invisible.

The mystery violin is played and reviewed here by Ursula Donnelley.