{"id":23151,"date":"2023-11-13T15:11:29","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T14:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/?p=23151"},"modified":"2024-10-29T18:02:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T17:02:35","slug":"jean-francois-raffin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/en\/2023\/11\/13\/jean-francois-raffin\/","title":{"rendered":"Merci Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A l\u2019aube de sa retraite, toute l\u2019\u00e9quipe de Vichy Ench\u00e8res tenait \u00e0 rendre hommage \u00e0 Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, avec qui l\u2019H\u00f4tel des Ventes a collabor\u00e9 de 1995 \u00e0 aujourd\u2019hui. Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin a exerc\u00e9 pendant plus de cinquante ans le m\u00e9tier d\u2019abord de luthier, puis d\u2019archetier, avant de se consacrer exclusivement \u00e0 l\u2019expertise – toujours avec bonheur et r\u00e9ussites. Internationalement reconnu comme une r\u00e9f\u00e9rence dans le champ de l\u2019expertise d\u2019archets, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin est le digne descendant de l\u2019arch\u00e8terie fran\u00e7aise, transmise par Bernard Millant pendant dix-sept ans. Le 30 novembre 2023, \u00e0 l\u2019occasion de notre vente de prestige d\u2019instruments du quatuor, un archet de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin sera vendu : un pr\u00e9texte suppl\u00e9mentaire pour revenir sur la carri\u00e8re exceptionnelle de cet homme rest\u00e9 humble malgr\u00e9 le succ\u00e8s.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Catalogue<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
R\u00e9sultats<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Contact<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Experts<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
English version<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Construire de solides bases avec Jean Eulry<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Apprentissage chez Apparut et Hilaire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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C\u2019est en \u00e9tudiant la guitare classique que Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin prend conscience qu\u2019il souhaite devenir luthier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Grande<\/a>
Grande arpeggione de Jacques CAMURAT, Paris 1984 \nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 24 mai 2014\n\u00a9 C. Darbelet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin en plein filtage, 1970, atelier Hilaire-Apparut<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A l\u2019\u00e9poque, il est n\u00e9cessaire de se former aupr\u00e8s d\u2019un ma\u00eetre en rejoignant son atelier, ce qui n\u2019\u00e9tait pas chose ais\u00e9e – les luthiers de Mirecourt n\u2019acceptant plus que quelques apprentis.
C\u2019est gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 Jacques Camurat que le jeune Jean-Fran\u00e7ois parvient finalement, apr\u00e8s de nombreux courriers rest\u00e9s sans r\u00e9ponse, \u00e0 trouver une place d\u2019apprenti chez Apparut et Hilaire, rue Sainte-C\u00e9cile, alors g\u00e9r\u00e9e par la veuve de Paul Hilaire. Pensant fabriquer des guitares, c\u2019est en r\u00e9alit\u00e9 \u00e0 la lutherie d\u2019instruments du quatuor \u00e0 cordes qu\u2019il se forme, et avec joie. Le responsable de l\u2019atelier, Jean Eulry, devient son ma\u00eetre et Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin lui en sera toujours reconnaissant.
Au cours de cet apprentissage, il c\u00f4toie quatre autres apprentis, Berend M\u00f6ller, Jean-Jacques Pages, Thomas Jansen et Patrice Taconn\u00e9. Berend M\u00f6ller \u00e9tait le fils de Max M\u00f6ller, le plus important luthier des Pays-Bas. Ayant de bonnes relations avec Jean-Fran\u00e7ois, il le pr\u00e9sente un jour \u00e0 son p\u00e8re qui entrevoit son talent et qui lui passera commande de trois archets miniatures avec des hausses et boutons en \u00e9caille et en or, copies de Peccatte, Tourte et Vuillaume, aujourd\u2019hui disparus suite \u00e0 un vol.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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L\u2019importance de Jean Eulry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Jean Eulry eut une importance d\u00e9terminante dans la carri\u00e8re de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, que ce soit en ce qui concerne sa technique ou sa fa\u00e7on de concevoir le m\u00e9tier. Il en retint notamment une phrase qui conditionna son parcours :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cReste toujours \u00e0 ta place, c\u2019est le mieux que tu puisses faire dans ton m\u00e9tier et tout au long de ta vie !\u201d<\/p>\nJean Eulry<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Toute sa carri\u00e8re professionnelle fut influenc\u00e9e par les enseignements d\u2019Eulry et ses relations humaines.
A cette \u00e9poque, Jean Eulry est l\u2019un des meilleurs luthiers de sa g\u00e9n\u00e9ration et les maisons parisiennes s\u2019arrachent ses instruments en blanc pour les vendre comme \u00e9tant les leurs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Son apprentissage touche \u00e0 sa fin en juillet 1971 et Raffin quitte Mirecourt pour Paris, int\u00e9grant l\u2019atelier d\u2019Etienne Vatelot gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l\u2019appui d\u2019Eulry, qui voyait en lui l\u2019un de ses meilleurs apprentis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comme symbole de respect et d’estime amicale et professionnelle entre Raffin et Eulry, ce dernier l\u00e8gue \u00e0 sa mort ses rabots de luthier \u00e0 son ancien \u00e9l\u00e8ve, \u00e0 sa demande – rabots que Raffin confia r\u00e9cemment au mus\u00e9e de Mirecourt pour en assurer la p\u00e9rennit\u00e9.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIl avait \u00e9t\u00e9 pour moi une personne profond\u00e9ment humaine et tr\u00e8s g\u00e9n\u00e9reuse de coeur ! Et il m\u2019a permis de r\u00e9aliser mon r\u00eave : devenir luthier, et ce dans les meilleures conditions possibles ! Je l\u2019ai donc quitt\u00e9 avec un grand pincement au c\u0153ur.\u201d<\/p>\nJean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jean<\/a>
Jean Eulry dans l’atelier Hilaire-Apparut, 1972<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Alto<\/a>
Alto de la Maison Apparut et Hilaire par Jean EULRY, 1974 \nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 6 juin 2019\n\u00a9 C. Darbelet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin polissant un violoncelle chez Hilaire, archives J.F. Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin et Jean Eurly, Mirecourt, 1982, archives J.F. Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Obtention du premier CAP de France de lutherie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Un mois avant la fin de son apprentissage, en juin 1971, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin s\u2019inscrit au CAP de lutherie, ouvert pour la premi\u00e8re fois aux luthiers apprentis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avec son ami Philippe Bodart, ils sont les deux seuls candidats sur toute la France \u00e0 inaugurer le concours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admis tous les deux, ils sont ainsi les deux premiers apprentis luthiers de l\u2019histoire dipl\u00f4m\u00e9s de Mirecourt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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D\u00e9couvrir de nouveaux horizons gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 Etienne Vatelot<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Une ann\u00e9e aupr\u00e8s des plus grands musiciens<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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En septembre 1971, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin gagne la capitale pour int\u00e9grer l\u2019atelier d\u2019Etienne Vatelot, aux places si convoit\u00e9es. Sans surprise, le fonctionnement y est tout autre que chez Apparut-Hilaire. Le ma\u00eetre \u00e9tant beaucoup moins pr\u00e9sent, il n\u2019est pas possible de l\u2019observer travailler \u00e0 volont\u00e9 et, comme Jean-Fran\u00e7ois avait pris cette habitude chez Jean Eulry, il en est d\u00e9stabilis\u00e9. En outre, l\u2019ambiance y est moins d\u00e9tendue, plus solennelle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin travaillant dans l’atelier Vatelot, archives Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Maurice<\/a>
Maurice Gendron<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Toutefois, ce travail chez Vatelot est fort int\u00e9ressant puisqu\u2019il lui permet de rencontrer un grand nombre de musiciens renomm\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cUne autre situation m\u2019\u00e9tait d\u00e9plaisante dans cette maison : lorsqu\u2019un grand musicien accompagnait Etienne dans l\u2019atelier, plus personne n\u2019osait bouger, et l\u2019on aurait pu entendre une mouche voler ! (\u2026) C\u2019\u00e9tait tr\u00e8s pesant et pas facile \u00e0 vivre pour moi ! En revanche, avoir la chance de rencontrer les plus grands musiciens de cette \u00e9poque \u00e9tait quelque chose de rare [\u2026] Cela m\u2019a permis de garder un tr\u00e8s bon souvenir de certains d\u2019entre eux, comme Igor Oistrakh, ou Yehudi Menuhin dont la simplicit\u00e9 \u00e9tait extraordinaire et aussi Maurice Gendron [\u2026] Concernant Maurice Gendron, il me revient qu\u2019Etienne m\u2019avait demand\u00e9 de lui faire une enture de t\u00eate sur son violoncelle muet, [il] avait \u00e9t\u00e9 tr\u00e8s satisfait de sa transformation [et il lui m\u2019avait remis cet autographe] \u201cPour Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin qui sait faire sonner les violoncelles muets.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Malgr\u00e9 le prestige et les opportunit\u00e9s que pouvaient offrir ce genre de places chez Etienne Vatelot, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin prit la d\u00e9cision de ne rester qu\u2019un an dans cet atelier et de rejoindre Bernard Millant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Le Prix de la Couronne fran\u00e7aise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Quelques ann\u00e9es apr\u00e8s avoir quitt\u00e9 l\u2019atelier d\u2019Etienne Vatelot, ce dernier lui fit d\u00e9cerner le Prix de la Couronne fran\u00e7aise, lors d\u2019une soir\u00e9e organis\u00e9e au Pavillon d\u2019Armenonville, au sein du bois de Boulogne. Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin y est \u00e9lu \u00e0 l\u2019unanimit\u00e9 et si\u00e8ge alors \u00e0 la table d\u2019honneur, entour\u00e9 de personnalit\u00e9s de haut rang, telles que S.L. le Roi Fouad d\u2019Egypte, S.M. la Reine Fadila ou encore le Baron et la Baronne Hottinguer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cette occasion, Etienne Vatelot lui fait \u00e9galement le cadeau de lui exprimer son estime, – lui qui l\u2019avait quitt\u00e9 dans des circonstances quelques peu d\u00e9licates :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cJe vous pr\u00e9sente la candidature de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, tr\u00e8s bon archetier travaillant chez mon coll\u00e8gue Bernard Millant \u00e0 Paris ! Il n\u2019est ni de ma famille, ni un de mes amis; c\u2019est simplement un artisan de grande qualit\u00e9, tr\u00e8s m\u00e9ritant et dont le travail est au meilleur niveau !\u201d<\/p>\nEtienne Vatelot <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Si Etienne Vatelot prend le soin de pr\u00e9ciser que ses relations avec Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin sont purement professionnelles, c\u2019est qu\u2019il \u00e9tait de coutume que les laur\u00e9ats soient, ou des amis, ou des membres de la famille des jur\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A la table d’honneur, soir\u00e9e de remise du prix de la Couronne fran\u00e7aise, archives Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Plonger dans l\u2019archeterie avec Bernard Millant<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Apprentissage de l\u2019arch\u00e8terie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Apr\u00e8s seulement six mois chez Etienne Vatelot, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin demande une place \u00e0 Bernard Millant qu\u2019il conna\u00eet bien. Volontiers, celui-ci lui en assure une pour septembre 1972. Raffin quitte alors Vatelot apr\u00e8s tout juste un an de travail \u00e0 ses c\u00f4t\u00e9s.
L\u2019atelier de Millant lui permet de se former \u00e0 l\u2019arch\u00e8terie et de d\u00e9couvrir de nouveaux outils et mat\u00e9riaux, tels que le bois de pernambouc, beaucoup plus dur \u00e0 fa\u00e7onner que l\u2019\u00e9pic\u00e9a ou l\u2019\u00e9rable. Mais, en r\u00e9alit\u00e9, il lui faut attendre quatre \u00e0 cinq ans avant de commencer \u00e0 fabriquer ne serait-ce que des copies de hausses ou \u00e0 remplacer certains arri\u00e8res de baguettes d\u00e9t\u00e9rior\u00e9es.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin d\u00e9clare avoir eu l’envie de r\u00e9aliser un archet de sa propre cr\u00e9ation en regardant travailler Bernard Millant pendant tout ce temps. Un jour, il se r\u00e9sout donc \u00e0 acheter quelques baguettes chez Roger G\u00e9r\u00f4me et commence \u00e0 fabriquer ses premiers archets. C\u2019\u00e9tait le d\u00e9but d\u2019une grande histoire qui ne s\u2019arr\u00eaterait plus et qui le conduirait \u00e0 s’am\u00e9liorer progressivement et \u00e0 gagner, pr\u00e9cocement (il avait en effet peu d\u2019exp\u00e9rience \u00e0 ce moment l\u00e0), la m\u00e9daille d\u2019argent au concours des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, en 1979.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin travaillant dans l’atelier de Bernard Millant, in Les M\u00e9tiers d’Art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Bernard<\/a>
Bernard Millant dans son atelier, in Les M\u00e9tiers d’Art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Des archets pris\u00e9s des grands musiciens<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Apr\u00e8s avoir pass\u00e9 dix-sept ans dans l\u2019atelier de Bernard Millant, Raffin est totalement p\u00e9tri de ce savoir-faire, ce qui lui permet de r\u00e9aliser des archets pris\u00e9s par une multitude de musiciens, tels que Philippe Muller – qui n\u2019utilise plus que celui-ci -, Roland Daugareil, Michel Strauss, Pierre-Yves Lamarca, Suzanne Ramon ou encore Dong-Suk Kang. Il con\u00e7oit \u00e9galement deux quatuors d\u2019archets avec des hausses en \u00e9caille et on or, l\u2019un pour son ami Jean-Yves Rouveyre, l\u2019autre pour son tr\u00e8s bon coll\u00e8gue Roland Baumgartner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPour ce second, je l\u2019ai agr\u00e9ment\u00e9 avec des filets en or tout autour de ses hausses, si difficile \u00e0 fa\u00e7onner !\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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En remerciement et t\u00e9moignage de gratitude, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin r\u00e9alise un archet sp\u00e9cialement con\u00e7u pour Bernard Millant, qui fut vendu lors de la dispersion de sa collection \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res en 2017. Le 30 novembre 2023, un int\u00e9ressant archet d’alto de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, r\u00e9alis\u00e9 vers 2000 et sign\u00e9 “J.F. Raffin \u00e0 Paris”, sera pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 aux ench\u00e8res \u00e0 Vichy. Mont\u00e9 or, cet instrument offre un bel exemple d\u2019un savoir-faire descendant directement de la pure tradition fran\u00e7aise de l\u2019arch\u00e8terie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cCes derniers temps, j\u2019ai \u00e9galement r\u00e9alis\u00e9 que j\u2019ai h\u00e9rit\u00e9 d\u2019une large partie de l\u2019histoire de l\u2019arch\u00e8terie fran\u00e7aise, depuis son essor (\u00e0 partir de 1750) jusqu\u2019\u00e0 Bernard Millant qui me l\u2019a transmise.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Le<\/a>
Le violoncelliste Philippe Muller jouant avec un archet de Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dong-Suk<\/a>
Dong-Suk Kang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Archet d’alto de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois RAFFIN, mont\u00e9 \u00e9caille et or. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 8 juin 2017 \u00a9 C. Darbelet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Archet de violon de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois RAFFIN, offert sp\u00e9cialement \u00e0 Bernard Millant. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 29 novembre 2017 \u00a9 Y. Le Canu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Archet d’alto de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois RAFFIN, vers 2000. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 30 novembre 2023 \u00a9 C. Darbelet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Transmission des connaissances : vers l\u2019expertise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Bernard<\/a>
Bernard Millant \u00e9tudiant un archet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Bernard Millant est aussi \u00e0 l\u2019origine du travail d\u2019expert de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin qui, d\u00e8s son arriv\u00e9e dans l\u2019atelier, a \u00e9t\u00e9 abreuv\u00e9 d\u2019informations concernant l\u2019histoire de l\u2019arch\u00e8terie, ses \u00e9poques et \u00e9coles, styles et foyers de fabrication, lui fournissant de solides bases d\u2019expertise. Millant le forma \u00e9galement en mettant au point un jeu consistant \u00e0 deviner l\u2019auteur d\u2019un archet \u00e0 partir de seulement un d\u00e9tail, obligeant l’\u0153il \u00e0 se focaliser sur qu\u2019une partie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAu bout de dix ans chez lui, il m\u2019avait quasiment tout transmis de son savoir et il ne me restait plus qu\u2019\u00e0 continuer \u00e0 progresser sur mon propre chemin car, m\u00eame avec la meilleure des volont\u00e9s, il ne pouvait tout m\u2019apporter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

C\u2019est dans les ann\u00e9es 1780 que Bernard Millant, qui avait enti\u00e8rement confiance en l\u2019expertise de Raffin et beaucoup moins en son acuit\u00e9 visuelle, commen\u00e7a \u00e0 lui demander son avis \u00e0 propos des archets qu\u2019il projetait d\u2019acqu\u00e9rir. Il joua ainsi un r\u00f4le actif dans l\u2019\u00e9tablissement de la collection de Millant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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R\u00e9daction de L\u2019Archet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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En 1989, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin est contraint de quitter l\u2019atelier de Bernard Millant, lors de sa succession \u00e0 V\u00e9r\u00e9na et Lo\u00efc Le Canu. Il n\u2019\u00e9tait pas envisageable qu\u2019il rach\u00e8te l\u2019entreprise,- ce dernier ne disposant pas des moyens financiers n\u00e9cessaires. Raffin s\u2019installe donc \u00e0 son compte au 68 rue de Rome, dans un tout petit local, et b\u00e9n\u00e9ficie tout de suite d\u2019une grande notori\u00e9t\u00e9. Quelques ann\u00e9es plus tard, il a l\u2019id\u00e9e de r\u00e9diger une somme de connaissances sur l\u2019arch\u00e8terie fran\u00e7aise, mettant \u00e0 contribution Bernard Millant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPour moi, Bernard Millant a \u00e9t\u00e9 le plus grand expert archetier du XXe si\u00e8cle. […] Bernard a su placer l\u2019arch\u00e8terie \u00e0 un niveau qui n\u2019avait jamais \u00e9t\u00e9 atteint et il a r\u00e9ussi \u00e0 faire reconna\u00eetre l\u2019archet en tant qu\u2019entit\u00e9 propre et, dans certains cas, aussi importante que le violon lui-m\u00eame. Tous les grands musiciens s\u2019accordent d\u00e9sormais pour l\u2019affirmer. L\u2019occasion m\u2019a \u00e9t\u00e9 donn\u00e9e de le remercier pour tout ce qu\u2019il avait fait, en lui proposant de se joindre \u00e0 nous pour la r\u00e9daction de \u201cL\u2019Archet\u201d […]\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

R\u00e9dig\u00e9 en quatre volumes durant plus de cinq ann\u00e9es de travail, cet ouvrage rencontre d\u00e8s sa sortie un succ\u00e8s international et fait aujourd\u2019hui figure de r\u00e9f\u00e9rence dans ce champ de la recherche. Avec la contribution de Bernard Gaudfroy et Lo\u00efc Le Canu, le livre met en exergue les qualit\u00e9s techniques et esth\u00e9tiques de l\u2019\u00e9cole fran\u00e7aise d\u2019arch\u00e8terie depuis le milieu du XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle, reposant sur plus de 110 portraits d\u2019archetiers. Le r\u00f4le de Raffin \u00e9tait consid\u00e9rable puisqu\u2019il \u00e9tait responsable de la r\u00e9daction de toutes les biographies et de la remise en \u00e9tat d\u2019une centaine d\u2019archets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Rue<\/a>
Rue de Rome, Paris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Bernard<\/a>
Bernard Millant, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, avec la contribution de Bernard Gaudfroy et Lo\u00efc Le Canu, L’Archet, Paris, 2000, 4 vol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Transmettre \u00e0 son tour<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Conf\u00e9rences et professorat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Son expertise l\u2019a amen\u00e9 \u00e0 enseigner dans diverses \u00e9coles, en particulier \u00e0 l’\u00c9cole de Lutherie ELAN de Qu\u00e9bec durant trois ans, dans les ann\u00e9es 1990. En 1994, il tient sa premi\u00e8re conf\u00e9rence \u00e0 Colmar, devant les Groupements des Luthiers fran\u00e7ais et allemands, amor\u00e7ant le d\u00e9but d’une s\u00e9rie de nombreuses autres interventions \u00e0 travers le monde. Sa renomm\u00e9e s\u2019\u00e9tend encore davantage \u00e0 l\u2019occasion du congr\u00e8s de l’Entente Internationale des Luthiers et Archetiers (EILA) de B\u00e2le, o\u00f9 il est nomm\u00e9 aux c\u00f4t\u00e9s de Jean Jacques Rampal, l\u2019amenant \u00e0 assurer des conf\u00e9rences et \u00e0 participer \u00e0 des collaborations dans de nombreux pays, tels qu\u2019aux \u00c9tats-Unis, Japon, Cor\u00e9e, Suisse et Allemagne.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Entente<\/a>
Entente Internationale des Luthiers et Archetiers (EILA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin et Bernard Millant lors d’une conf\u00e9rence, archives Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Nouvelles m\u00e9thodes de transmission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Rue de Rome, la place ne lui permettait pas de travailler convenablement les instruments du quatuor \u00e0 cordes. L\u2019\u00e9tabli \u00e9tait en effet si \u00e9troit qu\u2019il \u00e9tait compliqu\u00e9 de \u201craboter une touche de violoncelle sans \u00eatre oblig\u00e9 de placer celui-ci en position oblique\u201d par rapport au plan de travail. C\u2019est la raison, certes prosa\u00efque, pour laquelle il se consacra uniquement \u00e0 l\u2019arch\u00e8terie – admettons que ce choix lui r\u00e9ussit.
H\u00e9ritier d\u2019un noble savoir-faire respectant la tradition de l’arch\u00e8terie fran\u00e7aise, il lui tint alors \u00e0 c\u0153ur de transmettre l\u2019enseignement qu\u2019il avait lui-m\u00eame re\u00e7u, mais d\u2019apr\u00e8s ses propres m\u00e9thodes de transmission. Il enseigna ainsi l\u2019histoire de l\u2019arch\u00e8terie en suivant une ligne directrice, \u00e9tudiant successivement chaque auteur et \u00e9cole, de mani\u00e8re logique, se d\u00e9fendant de tout \u00e9voquer en m\u00eame temps, afin que les informations restent compartiment\u00e9es et ne se m\u00e9langent pas – comme il avait pu en faire l\u2019exp\u00e9rience d\u00e9stabilisante \u00e0 son arriv\u00e9e chez Millant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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De cette mani\u00e8re, il transmit ses connaissances et son savoir-faire \u00e0 une multitude d’assistants venus du monde entier, tels que Koachi Fukuda, Markus W\u00f6rtz, Andr\u00e9 lavoie, sa fille Sandrine, Agn\u00e8s Saumagne, Jean-Luc Tauzi\u00e8de, Ga\u00ebtan Dariel, Arthur Dubroca, Alexandre Aumont, Boris Fritch, Yoshiko Shiman\u00e9, Tibor Kovac\u2019, Jeong Bong Lee, Sophie Balay, Richard Morency, Alexis Bonnet et bien s\u00fbr Sylvain Bigot qui devint son assistant :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cJe lui [Sylvain Bigot] ai donc enseign\u00e9 tout ce que je pouvais dans le domaine de la restauration, l\u2019expertise et m\u00eame de bonnes bases de la conception d\u2019un archet. Mais rapidement, ses comp\u00e9tences dans le domaine de la fabrication d\u2018archets \u00e9tant devenues sup\u00e9rieures aux miennes, je lui ai sugg\u00e9r\u00e9 de se perfectionner aupr\u00e8s d\u2019un tr\u00e8s bon coll\u00e8gue\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Devenir un expert de r\u00e9f\u00e9rence internationale<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Reconnaissance internationale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Certificat
Certificat d’expertise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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En 1996, il est re\u00e7u expert pr\u00e8s la Cour d\u2019Appel de Paris et voyage d\u00e8s le d\u00e9but des ann\u00e9es 2000 \u00e0 Tokyo et S\u00e9oul, chez Mineo Matsuo, pour expertiser des archets. En 2007, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin revend une partie de son entreprise \u00e0 sa fille Sandrine pour se consacrer exclusivement aux expertises et s\u2019\u00e9tablit alors Place de Paris. Sa r\u00e9putation est tout de suite incontestable et est un gage d\u2019authenticit\u00e9 \u00e0 l’international. A cette \u00e9poque, son atelier emploie jusqu\u2019\u00e0 neuf collaborateurs, dont deux secr\u00e9taires. Anecdotique mais symbole d\u2019une carri\u00e8re d\u2019expert qui s\u2019annonce prometteuse, le premier certificat qu\u2019il r\u00e9alise concerne un tr\u00e8s bel archet de Dominique Peccatte. En 2012, alors qu\u2019il fait le choix de s\u2019associer \u00e0 Sylvain Bigot et Yannick Le Canu, il compte \u00e0 son actif plus de 25.000 certificats d\u2019expertise r\u00e9dig\u00e9s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cA ce jour, il s’agit de pr\u00e8s de 40.000 expertises r\u00e9alis\u00e9es seul ou avec mes associ\u00e9s, et c\u2019est assez incroyable \u00e0 constater et \u00e0 annoncer !\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Association avec Sylvain Bigot et Yannick Le Canu<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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En 2012, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin s’associe \u00e0 son ancien assistant Sylvain Bigot, qu\u2019il a form\u00e9, et \u00e0 son ami Yannick Le Canu. Cette association donne naissance au Cabinet d\u2019Archetiers Experts Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, implant\u00e9 rue de Constantinople, r\u00e9alisant des expertises partout dans le monde, de Lucerne \u00e0 Cologne, de Los Angeles \u00e0 San Francisco, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En 2022, Raffin estimait \u00e0 16.000 le nombre de certificats d\u2019expertise co-sign\u00e9s avec Sylvain Bigot et Yannick Le Canu depuis le 1er f\u00e9vrier 2012. Comme le souligne Raffin, ce travail n\u2019est pas toujours facile car les trois experts ont convenu d\u00e8s l\u2019origine de n\u2019\u00e9tablir de certificat qu\u2019\u00e0 la condition qu\u2019ils soient tous d\u2019accord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAujourd\u2019hui, nous formons une \u00e9quipe tout \u00e0 fait coh\u00e9rente dont les membres sont tr\u00e8s compl\u00e9mentaires. J\u2019ai \u00e0 pr\u00e9sent la certitude que gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 notre association, nous avons d\u00e9pass\u00e9 – et ce depuis un certain temps – les comp\u00e9tences de Bernard Millant.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Expertises pour Vichy Ench\u00e8res<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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C\u2019est \u00e0 partir de 1995 que d\u00e9bute la collaboration de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin avec Vichy Ench\u00e8res, \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9poque dirig\u00e9e par Guy Laurent. Les trois premi\u00e8res ventes furent expertis\u00e9es avec Serge Boyer, avant que Raffin ne prenne son ind\u00e9pendance en d\u00e9cembre 1996, alors que Jean-Jacques Rampal venait d\u2019\u00eatre nomm\u00e9 expert ind\u00e9pendant en lutherie. Cette collaboration se poursuivit lorsque Etienne Laurent prit la direction de l\u2019H\u00f4tel de Ventes en 2010, et apr\u00e8s que Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin se soit associ\u00e9 \u00e0 Sylvain Bigot et Yannick Le Canu en 2012.
Comme ils le reconnaissent, ces ventes sont une v\u00e9ritable aubaine puisqu\u2019elles permettent d\u2019\u00e9tudier des milliers d\u2019archets chaque ann\u00e9e, dont des pi\u00e8ces d\u2019exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIl s\u2019agit d\u2019enregistrer chaque archet (cinq cents par vente) afin de pouvoir le d\u00e9crire et ensuite en pr\u00e9parer le certificat d\u2019expertise (…) Apr\u00e8s, nous d\u00e9livrons un certificat pour chaque archet adjug\u00e9, ce qui est exceptionnel et n\u2019existe quasiment pas dans les autres ventes d\u2019instruments ou d\u2019archets.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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En 2017, alors que Bernard Millant \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s malade, il confia \u00e0 Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin le souhait de disperser sa collection d\u2019archets \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAide ma fille, s\u2019il te pla\u00eet, et mets tous mes archets \u00e0 Vichy !\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Un v\u0153u qui fut respect\u00e9 puisque les archets de sa collection furent vendus sur trois ans, \u00e0 l\u2019occasion de ventes rassemblant des musiciens et collectionneurs du monde entier venus rendre hommage \u00e0 Bernard Millant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ventes \u00e9v\u00e9nements de la collection Bernard Millant<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cS\u2019il existe un paradis des archetiers, je souhaite, cher Bernard, que tu aies pu y acc\u00e9der, au milieu d\u2019une for\u00eat de tr\u00e8s beaux archets, et y \u00eatre accueilli aupr\u00e8s des plus grands ma\u00eetres de notre m\u00e9tier\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Expertises<\/a>
Expertises \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Apr\u00e8s plus de 50 ann\u00e9es en tant qu\u2019expert archetier et une retraite partielle durant laquelle il a continu\u00e9 \u00e0 aider les musiciens, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin est sur le point de prendre une retraite bien m\u00e9rit\u00e9e. La vente du 30 novembre 2023 est ainsi l\u2019occasion de lui rendre hommage, mais aussi de le remercier pour tout ce qu\u2019il a fait pour Vichy Ench\u00e8res et de lui t\u00e9moigner notre reconnaissance et haute estime. Comme un clin d’\u0153il \u00e0 sa carri\u00e8re, un archet de ses mains mettra un beau point d\u2019orgue \u00e0 cette collaboration durant cette ultime vente !<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THANK YOU JEAN-FRAN\u00c7OIS RAFFIN<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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On the eve of his retirement, the entire Vichy Ench\u00e8res team wanted to pay tribute to Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, with whom the auction house has collaborated since 1995. Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin had a 50-year long career, first as a violin maker, then as a bow maker, before focusing exclusively on expertise \u2013 enjoying success and fortune throughout. Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin is internationally renowned as a bow expert, and is a worthy heir to French bow making, having studied under Bernard Millant for 17 years. On 30 November 2023, during our sale of fine string instruments, a bow by Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin will be auctioned; it is one more reason to look back at the exceptional career of this man, who remained humble despite his success.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Catalog<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Results<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Contact<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Experts<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Version fran\u00e7aise<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Building strong foundations with Jean Eulry<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Apprenticeship at Apparut and Hilaire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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It was while learning classical guitar that Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin realized he wanted to become a violin maker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grande arpeggione de Jacques CAMURAT, Paris 1984 \nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 24 mai 2014\n\u00a9 C. Darbelet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin en plein filtage, 1970, atelier Hilaire-Apparut<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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At the time, the only route into violin making was to train with a master by joining his workshop, which was not easy \u2013 the Mirecourt violin makers only took on a few apprentices. It was thanks to Jacques Camurat that the young Jean-Fran\u00e7ois finally managed, after several unanswered letters, to find a place as an apprentice at Apparut et Hilaire, rue Sainte-C\u00e9cile, which was then managed by Paul Hilaire’s widow. Although it was guitar making he had in mind, he actually learned to make string quartet instruments, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Jean Eulry, the head of workshop, became his master, and Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin was always grateful to him. During this apprenticeship, he worked alongside four other apprentices, Berend M\u00f6ller, Jean-Jacques Pages, Thomas Jansen and Patrice Taconn\u00e9. Berend M\u00f6ller was the son of Max M\u00f6ller, the most important violin maker in the Netherlands. He had s good relationship with Jean-Fran\u00e7ois, and, one day, introduced him to his father, who saw his talent and commissioned from him three miniature bows with tortoiseshell and gold frog and button, in copy of Peccatte, Tourte and Vuillaume, which are now missing following a theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The importance of Jean Eulry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Jean Eulry had a significant influence on the career of Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, both in terms of his technique and the way he approached his profession. In particular, the following words from his master left a mark on his professional journey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAlways stay in your place, it\u2019s the best you can do in your job and throughout your life!\u201d<\/p>\nJean Eulry<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

His entire professional career was influenced by the teachings of Eulry and his personal relationship with him. At that time, Jean Eulry was one of the best violin makers of his generation, and Parisian houses snapped up his instruments in the white to sell them as their own. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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His apprenticeship came to an end in July 1971 and Raffin left Mirecourt for Paris, joining the workshop of Etienne Vatelot thanks to Eulry, who saw him as one of his best apprentices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a testimony of the personal and professional esteem in which Eury held Raffin, the former bequeathed his violin making planes to his former pupil upon his death, at his request \u2013 planes that Raffin recently entrusted to the Mirecourt museum to ensure their future conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFor me, he was a deeply human and very generous person! He helped me achieve my dream, to become a violin maker, and allowed me to flourish in the best possible conditions! As a result, I left him with a heavy heart.\u201d<\/p>\nJean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jean<\/a>
Jean Eulry dans l’atelier Hilaire-Apparut, 1972<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Alto<\/a>
Alto de la Maison Apparut et Hilaire par Jean EULRY, 1974 \nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 6 juin 2019\n\u00a9 C. Darbelet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin polissant un violoncelle chez Hilaire, archives J.F. Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin et Jean Eurly, Mirecourt, 1982, archives J.F. Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Obtaining the first national vocational qualification in France<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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One month before the end of his apprenticeship, in June 1971, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin enrolled in the CAP<\/em> (vocational qualification) in violin making, which was open for the first time to violin making apprentices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He and his friend Philippe Bodart were the only two candidates in all of France to apply for the qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were both admitted, and are the first two violin making apprentices in history to graduate from Mirecourt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Broadening his horizon with Etienne Vatelot<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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A year working for the greatest musicians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In September 1971, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin went to the capital to take up a coveted place in the workshop of Etienne Vatelot. Unsurprisingly, the modus operandum of that workshop was completely different from that of Apparut-Hilaire\u2019s. The master was much less present in the workshop, and it was not possible to observe him at work whenever you wanted, which became disconcerting for Jean-Fran\u00e7ois, who was used to the working practices of Jean Eulry. In addition, the atmosphere was less relaxed, more austere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin travaillant dans l’atelier Vatelot, archives Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Maurice<\/a>
Maurice Gendron<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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However, this work at Vatelot\u2019s was very useful, as it allowed him to come into contact with a large number of renowned musicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAnother type of situation was difficult for me in this house: when a great musician accompanied Etienne into the workshop, no one dared to move, and you could have heard a pin drop! [\u2026] It was unpleasant and not easy for me to live with! On the other hand, having the chance to meet the greatest musicians of that time was something unique [\u2026] I have great memories of having met some of them, like Igor Oistrakh or Yehudi Menuhin, whose humility was remarkable, but also Maurice Gendron [ \u2026] Regarding Maurice Gendron, I just remembered that Etienne asked me to repair the head of his silent cello, [he] was very satisfied with its transformation [and he gave him a written note that read]: \u201cFor Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, who knows how to make silent cellos sound.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Despite the prestige associated with the position at Etienne Vatelot\u2019s, and the opportunities it brought with it, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin decided to stay only one year there, after which he joined Bernard Millant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The “Prix de la Couronne fran\u00e7aise”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A few years after leaving Etienne Vatelot, the latter awarded him the Prix de la Couronne Francaise<\/em>, at an evening organized at the Pavillon d’Armenonville, in the Bois de Boulogne. Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin was unanimously elected, and then sat at the head table, accompanied by high-ranking personalities, such as H.L. King Fouad of Egypt, H.M. Queen Fadila and Baron and Baroness Hottinguer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this occasion, Etienne Vatelot also expressed his esteem for him, despite the fact that he left him in somewhat difficult circumstances:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI present to you the candidacy of Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, a very good bow maker working for my colleague Bernard Millant in Paris! He is neither a family member nor a friend of mine; he is simply an excellent craftsman, very deserving and whose work is of the highest standard!\u201d<\/p>\nEtienne Vatelot <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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If Etienne Vatelot emphasised that his relationship with Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin was purely professional, it is because it was customary for the winners to be either friends or family members of the jurors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A la table d’honneur, soir\u00e9e de remise du prix de la Couronne fran\u00e7aise, archives Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The focus on bowmaking with Bernard Millant<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Bow making apprenticeship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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After only six months with Etienne Vatelot, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin asked Bernard Millant, who he knew well, for a position. He offered him one for September 1972, and so Raffin left Vatelot then, after just one year working alongside him. At Millant’s, he was able to train in bow making and discover new tools and materials, such as pernambuco wood, which is much harder to work than spruce or maple. However, it took four or five years before he was allowed to even make copies of frogs or to replace the damaged bottoms of sticks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin expressed his desire to make a bow of his own creation while watching Bernard Millant work all that time. One day, he decided to buy a few sticks from Roger G\u00e9r\u00f4me and began making his first bows. It was the beginning of a great and long story, in which he gradually improved and gained recognition, including early on by winning the silver medal in the competition for the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France<\/em> in 1979 (despite having limited experience then).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois<\/a>
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin travaillant dans l’atelier de Bernard Millant, in Les M\u00e9tiers d’Art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bernard Millant dans son atelier, in Les M\u00e9tiers d’Art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bows sough after by the greatest musicians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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After spending 17 years in Bernard Millant’s workshop, Raffin had accumulated a wealth of knowledge, which allowed him to create bows sought after by many musicians, including Philippe Muller \u2013 whose Raffin bow he uses exclusively \u2013 Roland Daugareil, Michel Strauss, Pierre-Yves Lamarca, Suzanne Ramon and Dong-Suk Kang. He also made two quartets of bows with tortoiseshell and gold frogs, one for his friend Jean-Yves Rouveyre, the other for his dear colleague Roland Baumgartner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFor this second one, I decorated their frog with gold purfling, which was a very difficult task!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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As a thank you and a testimony of his gratitude, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin created a bow specially designed for Bernard Millant, which was auctioned during the sale of his collection at Vichy Ench\u00e8res in 2017. On 30 November 2023, an interesting viola bow by Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, made around 2000 and signed \u201cJ.F. Raffin a Paris\u201d, will be auctioned in Vichy. It is gold mounted and a fine example of the craftsmanship inherited directly from the pure tradition of French bow making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cRecently, I have also realized that I have inherited a large part of the history of French bow making, from its rise (from 1750) to Bernard Millant who passed it on to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Le violoncelliste Philippe Muller jouant avec un archet de Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dong-Suk Kang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Archet d’alto de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois RAFFIN, mont\u00e9 \u00e9caille et or. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 8 juin 2017 \u00a9 C. Darbelet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Archet de violon de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois RAFFIN, offert sp\u00e9cialement \u00e0 Bernard Millant. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 29 novembre 2017 \u00a9 Y. Le Canu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Archet d’alto de Jean-Fran\u00e7ois RAFFIN, vers 2000. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 30 novembre 2023 \u00a9 C. Darbelet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Transmission of knowledge: the rise of the expert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Bernard Millant \u00e9tudiant un archet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Bernard Millant can also be credited with kick-starting Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin\u2019s career as bow expert. From the minute he set foot in his workshop, he fed him with information on the history of bow making, its periods and schools, its styles and making centres, giving him strong foundations for his work as an expert. Millant also trained him by playing a game which consisted of guessing the maker of a bow based solely on one detail, forcing his eye to focus on just one element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAfter 10 years with him, he had passed on almost all of his knowledge to me, and all I had to do was to continue to progress on my own path because, even with the best of intentions, he could not give me everything.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It was in the 1980s that Bernard Millant, who had complete confidence in Raffin’s expertise and much less in his own visual abilities by then, began to ask his opinion about the bows he was planning to acquire. He therefore played a major part in building Millant\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The publication \u201cl\u2019archet\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In 1989, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin was forced to leave the workshop of Bernard Millant, at the time when V\u00e9r\u00e9na and Lo\u00efc Le Canu succeeded him. It was not possible for him to acquire the company, as he did not have the necessary means. Raffin therefore set up on his own at 68 rue de Rome, in very small premises, and immediately met with success. A few years later, he had the idea of writing a body of work on French bow making, and to involve Bernard Millant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFor me, Bernard Millant was the greatest expert bow maker of the 20th century. [\u2026] Bernard was able to take bowmaking to a level that had never been reached before, and he succeeded in raising the profile of the bow as an instrument in itself and, in some cases, as one which was as important as the violin. All the great musicians now concur with this view. Asking him to join us in writing \u201cL\u2019Archet\u201d was my opportunity to thank him for everything he had done [\u2026].\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Composed of four volumes which represent over five years of work, this publication met with international success upon its release and is, to this day, a reference in this field of research. With contributions from Bernard Gaudfroy and Lo\u00efc Le Canu, the book highlights the technical and visual characteristics of the French school of bow making since the mid-18th century, based the history of over 110 bowmakers. Raffin’s role was significant, since he was responsible for writing all the biographies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Rue de Rome, Paris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bernard Millant, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin, avec la contribution de Bernard Gaudfroy et Lo\u00efc Le Canu, L’Archet, Paris, 2000, 4 vol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Transmitting his knowledge, in turn<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Conferences and teaching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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His expert knowledge led him to teach in various schools, in particular the ELAN Violin Making School in Quebec for three years in the 1990s. In 1994, he held his first conference in Colmar, in front of the French and German Groupements des Luthiers<\/em>, which signalled the start of his participation in a number of events worldwide. His reputation rose even further after the conference of the Entente Internationale des Luthiers et Archetiers<\/em> (EILA) in Basel, in which he took part alongside Jean Jacques Rampal; this led him to conferences and projects in many countries, including the United States, Japan, Korea, Switzerland and Germany.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Entente Internationale des Luthiers et Archetiers (EILA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin et Bernard Millant lors d’une conf\u00e9rence, archives Raffin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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New ways of passing on knowledge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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His workshop on rue de Rome did not allow him to work properly on the instruments of the string quartet. The workbench was in fact so narrow that you had to \u201cplace cello fingerboards in a diagonal position [relative to the work surface] in order to shoot them\u201d. This is the, rather practical, reason why he devoted himself solely to bow making \u2013 a decision that turned out to be very successful indeed. He inherited the knowledge and tradition of French bow making, and was keen to pass on the teaching he had himself received, but using his own methodology. Therefore, he taught the history of bow making following a guideline, studying each maker and school in succession, in a logical manner, and refraining from discussing everything at once, so that the information remained compartmentalized, and not mixed up as he had experienced when he arrived at Millant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Following this methodology, he passed on his knowledge and techniques to a number of assistants from all over the world, including Koachi Fukuda, Markus W\u00f6rtz, Andr\u00e9 Lavoie, his daughter Sandrine, Agn\u00e8s Saumagne, Jean-Luc Tauzi\u00e8de, Ga\u00ebtan Dariel, Arthur Dubroca, Alexandre Aumont, Boris Fritch, Yoshiko Shiman\u00e9, Tibor Kovac’, Jeong Bong Lee, Sophie Balay, Richard Morency, Alexis Bonnet and of course Sylvain Bigot, who became his assistant:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI taught him [Sylvain Bigot] everything I knew regarding restoration, expertise and even basic bow making skills. But quickly, his bow making skills surpassed mine, and I suggested that he perfect them with a very good colleague.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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An expert of international renown<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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International recognition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Certificat d’expertise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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In 1996, he became an expert to the Paris Court of Appeal, and in the early 2000s travelled to Tokyo and Seoul, to Mineo Matsuo, to appraise bows. In 2007, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin sold part of his business to his daughter Sandrine to devote himself exclusively to expertise, and moved to Place de Paris in the process. His reputation is of the highest order and his certificates are a guarantee of authenticity worldwide. At that time, his workshop employed up to nine people, including two secretaries. Though anecdotal, the first certificate he produced related to a very beautiful bow by Dominique Peccatte, announcing a promising career as an expert. In 2012, when he chose to join forces with Sylvain Bigot and Yannick Le Canu, he had more than 25,000 certificates of authenticity to his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTo date, there have been nearly 40,000 authentications carried out by me alone or with my associates, and that is quite remarkable to see and announce!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The association with Sylvain Bigot and Yannick le Canu<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In 2012, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin joined forces with his former assistant Sylvain Bigot, whom he trained, and his friend Yannick Le Canu. This association gave birth to the Cabinet d’Archetiers Experts Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin<\/em>, situated on rue de Constantinople, and which carried out expert assessments all over the world, from Lucerne to Cologne, Los Angeles to San Francisco, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Raffin estimated at 16,000 the number of certificates co-signed with Sylvain Bigot and Yannick Le Canu since 1 February 2012. As Raffin points out, this work is not always easy because the three experts agreed early on to only issue certificates provided they were all in agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cToday, we are a strong and cohesive team whose members complement each other. I am now convinced that, thanks to our association, we have surpassed \u2013 and this for some time \u2013 the abilities of Bernard Millant.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Expertise for Vichy Encheres<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin’s collaboration with Vichy Ench\u00e8res began in 1995, when the auction house was managed by Guy Laurent. The first three sales were appraised with Serge Boyer, before Raffin became independent in December 1996, as Jean-Jacques Rampal had just been appointed independent violin making expert. This collaboration continued when Etienne Laurent took up the reins of the auction house in 2010, as well as after Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin joined forces with Sylvain Bigot and Yannick Le Canu in 2012. As they admit themselves, these sales were a real godsend as they allowed them to examine thousands of bows each year, including exceptional pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt involves cataloguing each bow (500 per sale) in order to have sufficient information to describe them and then prepare certificates (\u2026) After the auction, we issue a certificate for each bow sold, which is exceptional and almost unheard of in sales of this type.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In 2017, when Bernard Millant was very ill, he confided to Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin that he wished to sell his collection of bows at Vichy Ench\u00e8res:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHelp my daughter, please, and put up all my bows for sale in Vichy!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

His wish was granted and the bows from his collection were sold over a period of three years, during sales bringing together musicians and collectors from around the world, who came to pay tribute to Bernard Millant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Event sales of the Bernard Millant collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cIf there is a bowmaker\u2019s paradise, I hope, dear Bernard, that you were able to reach it, in the middle of a forest of very beautiful bows, and be welcomed there alongside the greatest masters of our profession.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Expertises \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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After more than 50 years as an expert bow maker and a semi-retirement during which he continued to help musicians, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Raffin is about to take his well-deserved retirement. The sale on 30 November 2023 is therefore an opportunity to pay tribute to him, but also to thank him for everything he has done for Vichy Ench\u00e8res, and to show him our tremendous gratitude and esteem. As a nod to his career, a bow by his hand, included in his final sale, will act as a beautiful climax to this collaboration!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\ude80 Suivez-nous !<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n