Dancing master’s violin ('pochette') of French origin. "Its form and model are both consistent with a date of manufacture between 1794 and 1820. The instrument is representative of a romantic revival of certain musical instruments that followed a redistribution of wealth after the French Revolution, both the lute and pochette were objects of desire during this period because they were iconic mementos of earlier times. The incised date on the instrument is inconsistent with a date of manufacture for historical reasons.

The pochette has a maple wood neck and scroll fitted with boxwood pegs that are consistent with the expected date of the instrument. The body, which is 'en bateau' is constructed from seven ivory staves married at their center with a wood band that carries the date 1787. The ivory staves or ribs have been made from ivory stock intended for piano keyboards, hence the reason to insert the wooden band at their half way point in order to accommodate the reduced length of the ivory slips. Black-wood bandings are inserted at the glue line of the staves and a banded border follows the central dated wooden band. A finely turned tail button carries a later tailpiece, which is attached by a lamb-gut cord. The belly of the instrument has an arch carved from one piece of spruce that is pierced in the usual position by a pair of CC shaped sound holes. The fingerboard and nut are in ebony. The tailpiece is carved from ebony and is uncharacteristic of the date of the pochette. Tool marks suggest that this later addition is after 1870. The bridge is a modern addition. The gut strings are modern replacements of the usual wire pochette strings. There is no bow or case with the instrument. The varnish is dark brown [...]

Many instruments were made for occasional street sales and on a wholesale basis for music sellers that tendered to the post revolutionary spirit of French romanticism." (Andrew Dipper, Dec. 2019)