WS13

ws13-2

Boucher Exhibition Grade 5 String

S/N- None 1860s or 70s 13 5/8" x 22“ (Nut to rim) 6 1/4 lb. (Missing HW)

Originality & Condition: Three of 8 hooks and nuts are missing. There is a barely detectable, well-repaired hairline crack in the peghead and apparently a beak was broken off the eagle’s head. The large pearl inlay in the tailpiece may not be original.

Background: Without a doubt the premier name amongst early banjo makers is Wm. Boucher (pronounced Boo-shay) of Baltimore, MD. Some writers have even credited him with the invention of the metal brackets used to adjust the tension of banjo heads. Perhaps 2 dozen of his banjos are known to have survived including 3 in the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution. Typical Boucher construction is well documented and illustrated in banjo literature. Until this instrument surfaced on e-Bay, no one in the inner circle of collectors seems to have had any inkling that he had ever made anything even remotely this elaborate and superbly crafted. Prior to its e-Bay sale, reportedly it had been in the hands of a sophisticated art collector for as long as 20 to 30 years. I have called it “Exhibition Grade” because it seems reasonable that it could have been produced for one of the expositions common to that era. One could also reasonably argue that it is a “Presentation Grade” instrument.

Dating this instrument is difficult. Considering the eagle carved on the peghead, the mechanical tuners, and the” resonator”, I can easily believe it could have been intended for the 1876 U. S. Centennial Exposition. On the other hand, having only 8 brackets on the pot and its overall size which is massive for the 1870s, my gut feeling is mid-1860s.........but “who cares”? Because the large pearl inlay in the tailpiece neither fits perfectly nor matches the inlay in the lower fingerboard, some have speculated that this space might have originally held an engraved insert of pearl or silver that carried a name, date, or both that would shed light on the banjo’s origin.

This instrument incorporates essentially everything collectors strive to acquire: rarity (it is almost certainly unique), incredible craftsmanship, technology of the period, decor of the era, wonderful originality and condition, a fantastic “story” (below), and a multiply-signed work by the premier early maker.

About this instrument:

1) Violin-type peghead beautifully carved with an eagle’s head with a garland in its mouth.
2) Gorgeous rosewood neck with graceful double-ogee treatment below the 5th peg area. (One of the hallmarks of Boucher’s work was this ogee treatment on the neck of either single or double-ogee design).
3) Amazing state of preservation and essentially no sign of playing wear.
4) Closed pot construction with 4 sound holes lined with ivory fillers.
5) In addition to the typical Boucher stamp on the heel, inside the pot are 3 examples of a previously un-described gilt Boucher label that shows renderings of several musical instruments and states, “Wm. Boucher, Jr. 38 E. Baltimore St., One Door From High St., Baltimore, Importer & Manufacturer of Musical Instruments”. One of those labels can be seen in the photos below. It is followed by related pictures of a clarinet that Boucher imported for distribution and its box. On the box lid is the same label in which the details are far easier to recognize and read. On the clarinet the name, Boucher, has been stamped.
6) The sides of the pot/resonator display lovely wood marquetry and the bottom of the pot features a large, fabulously decorative marquetry rendering of flowers and 2 birds.
7) The pot, back of the neck, and the tailpiece display delicate purfling and this is doubled around the entire fingerboard .
8) Where it protrudes from the pot, the dowel stick is attractively turned.

Story: Truth is often stranger than fiction. When the art collector mentioned above decided to sell this, it was purchased by a nice couple from NY State purely on impulse for a friend who collected banjos. When I spoke with them about this after I acquired it, they said they had bought it for “practically nothing”. When they took it to their friend, he said,” he was not interested because it was too old and suggested they sell it on E-bay”!