Ceramic violins are extremely rare: only 7 examples are preserved today. The one in the Musée de Rouen is Delftware and replicates a classic Cremonese model from the Amati School. It pre-dates the changes that Stradivarius would bring to violin making from 1725 onwards in its vigorous contours and short neck and the strongly arching curves of the F-holes. The back is decorated with a concert scene and the front with a lively architectural composition to suit the instrument’s baroque shape.