A Proud Father and Luthier Carves Cellos in Bourges

We walked through the city of Bourges, in the center of the region of Cher, not expecting such a lovely and compact old city. I just never knew how nice this town was, and it surprised me. But it’s been a center of history and the cathedral is as dramatic as the one up north in Chartres. There is a Roman wall that curves around the city and dozens of half-timbered houses right below.

One street is marked by three flutes, and was once used to signal the beginning of the old red light district. No red lights any more, but we wandered up this street and came upon a luthier’s shop. Inside we met a craftsman named Jackie Gonthier, who was busy working on the rough-hewn neck of a cello. He’s a rarity, since there are few luthiers left in France, and he’s known by violinists and cellists all over the country.

Our guide told us this was the first time she’d been able to take people in to meet him since he’s usually too busy to stop for nosy reporters like us.

He was gracious and answered our many questions about his craft. Then he said that his son Vincent is also a luthier, carrying on the Gonthier tradition, but he’s doing it in Hong Kong. The proud papa showed us a catalog that showed his son inside, and you could tell it made him happy to have such a talented son.

Like many men of his generation, he got his name from JFK. He said that it takes about a month to make one of these fine instruments, the head made of sturdy maple, and the hollow body made of spruce. It takes much longer to varnish it, he said.

We thanked him for sharing his story with us. “Do you play?” we asked. “To make violins you have to play the violin,” he answered.