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We already had three instruments by Nicolas Duclos in our collection, but thanks to the Barcelona Institute of Culture, we were able to purchase this violin, built in the 18th century, which was located in the United Kingdom. The violin, which has arrived in perfect condition and is suitable for musical use, comes with a certificate of authenticity issued by luthier John Dilworth.

Before being added to the museum’s collection, the instrument underwent an anoxia treatment to preserve its condition and ensure the protection of the other instruments.

We have recovered for the city a violin built in Barcelona in the mid-18th century by Nicolas Duclos, a French luthier who was based in Barcelona between 1740 and 1775. He claimed to be a "disciple of Antonio Stradivari," though there is no real evidence to support this, as the dates suggest they could not have overlapped.

We managed to purchase it before it could be auctioned and sold into private hands, after a negotiation process that lasted more than a year. The seller, the owner of a violin workshop and store, contacted the curators of the Museu de la Música de Barcelona to see if they would be interested in acquiring it, knowing that the museum already had three other instruments by the same maker in its collection.

The other Duclos instruments we preserve are a viola d’amore, a violin, and a cello, all currently displayed in the permanent exhibition showcases but no longer playable. “The great value of the recovered violin is that, beyond having been built in Barcelona, it can still be played, unlike the three we already have,” explains Marisa Ruiz, Head of Collections and Documentation at the Museum. Ruiz also highlights that “the violin has reached us in perfect condition nearly three centuries later. It is clear that it has been in good hands and has been very well restored.” Vlad Stanculeasa, concertmaster of the Barcelona and Catalonia National Symphony Orchestra (OBC), had the opportunity to be the first to play it and attest to its good condition and the exceptional quality of its sound.

After reaching an agreement and completing the necessary bureaucratic process for its acquisition, the museum’s director, Jordi Alomar, personally traveled to the United Kingdom to retrieve it. “This is a very unique instrument of great heritage and musical value,” he explains about this violin, which comes with an original certificate of authenticity signed by John Dilworth, a renowned English luthier. He also emphasized the “exceptional” nature of this acquisition, as the museum usually adds new pieces to its collection through donations rather than purchases.

Once the violin arrived, we treated it with anoxia and subsequently conducted an organoleptic study, described, and photographed it so that it will soon be available in the online instrument catalog and also in CATICAT (Catalan Musical Instrument Catalog).