Modern-day Mirecourt still embraces its heritage as a historic center for musical-instrument making dating as far back as the early seventeenth century. The logo on the tourism office declares, Capitale de la Lutherie. Its legacy is on display at the Musée de Mirecourt, dedicated to the art of violin and guitar making.
| Specifications | |
| Date | c. 1845 |
| Location | Mirecourt, France |
| Length of Guitar | 920 mm |
| String Length | 622 mm |
| Upper Bout Width | 235 mm |
| Waist Width | 175 mm |
| Lower Bout Width | 299 mm |
| Side Depth at Waist | 80 mm |
| Soundboard: Spruce | Back: Brazilian rosewood veneer | Sides: Brazilian rosewood | Details: Materials, bridge, and ornamentation reflect a typical Mirecourt design | |
Joseph Victor Achille Josset (1801–1846) was born and trained in Mirecourt and later settled in Paris. Little is known about Josset’s career, but he may have worked in both places.
The Josset in the Austin-Marie Collection was likely made in Mirecourt and has many features typical of Mirecourt-made guitars, including the outline of the bridge and the characteristic decorative mother-of-pearl inlays bordering the sound hole and spruce soundboard. The head and neck are veneered in ebony with Brazilian rosewood sides and a back made of highly figured Brazilian rosewood veneer on maple. The French-style bracing of the soundboard has two harmonic bars with a diagonal support and a smaller one below it. It is stamped “Josset” on the inside back visible through the sound hole.
This instrument is reputed to have belonged to the renowned Danish artist Anne Marie Brodersen, one of the first women to be recognized as a serious sculptor. In 1891, she married the famed musician Carl Nielsen, considered to be Denmark’s greatest symphonic composer.
