1975 - Nature morte au violon     50 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)
          Still Life with Violin           B 626 12 F

The mother of Pierrette, MAX-AGOSTINI's wife the last thirty years of his life, was an accomplished violinist and a former student of the father of Zino Francescatti, internationally renowned concert violinist, born in Marseilles in 1902. Zino, before moving "up" to Paris at age fourteen to find a better violin professor than his father, gave his bow signed "Deblaye" to this eighteen year old girl with whom he most certainly played duos during his father's lessons. Zino Francescatti performed his first important concert in Paris in 1924. Pierrette inherited from her mother this violin signed: "H. Emile Blondelet � Luthier � Paris, 1922", as well as "Zino's" bow to which her mother was particularly attached. They were always present in Max's studio. Though he preferred playing the piano, the artist sometimes tried his hand at the violin, when he wasn't painting it.

La m�re de Pierrette, la compagne de MAX-AGOSTINI pendant ses trente derni�res ann�es, �tait une violoniste accomplie, ancienne �l�ve du p�re de Zino Francescatti, violoniste-concertiste de renomm�e internationale, n� � Marseille en 1902. C'est Zino,  qui � quatorze ans, avant de "monter" � Paris pour trouver un meilleur professeur que son p�re, a fait cadeau de son archet sign� "Deblaye", � cette �l�ve de quatre ans son a�n�e, et avec qui il a certainement d� jouer en duo pendant les cours de son p�re.  Zino Francescatti a donn� son premier grand concert � Paris en 1924. Pierrette avait h�rit� de sa m�re ce violon sign� : "H. Emile Blondelet � Luthier � Paris, 1922", et l'archet de "Zino" auquel sa m�re �tait particuli�rement attach�e. Ils �taient toujours pr�sents dans l'atelier de Max. Bien qu'il pr�f�rait le piano, le peintre t�tait quelquefois les cordes de ce violon, quand il ne le peignait pas.