Mirecourt, France, 1906
This violin, crafted in 1906 in Mirecourt, France, was the very first handmade instrument by Jacob Hakkert, a talented Dutch-Jewish violin maker whose life and artistry were tragically cut short by the Holocaust.
Hakkert studied at the renowned violin-making school in Mirecourt, a town celebrated for its centuries-old lutherie traditions. After completing his studies, he returned to the Netherlands around 1910 to join his family’s instrument shop in Rotterdam, where he built violins, violas, and cellos admired for their craftsmanship and tone. In addition to his work as a maker, Hakkert gained a reputation for developing and selling high-quality strings, which became popular among professional musicians across Europe.
His skill and dedication embodied the deep connection between Jewish artistry and European musical life before the war. But like so many others, Jacob Hakkert’s story ended in tragedy. He was deported to Auschwitz, where he was murdered on May 22, 1944.
Today, this violin stands as both a tribute to his remarkable talent and a remembrance of a life devoted to music—a life silenced, but not forgotten, through the enduring voice of his first creation.
