Paganini, Nicolò. (1782–1840)
The Personal Bloodletting Set of Paganini
A most macabre relic, being the bloodletting set formerly owned and used by the Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer, the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time and one the most colorful musical figures of the Romantic era. French, ca. 1820, consisting of three domed-shape glasses with a brass twist spouts and a scarification tool of brass, contained in a fitted walnut box measuring 22 x 14 x 9.5 cm. Stamped "Chappiere a Paris," possibly lacking a piece or two, but otherwise in fine condition.With remarkable provenance from the collection of the eldest son of Achilles Paganini, Andrea (1844-1918), by descent through his heirs. For many years this item resided in the collection housed in the Villa Gaione di Parma: first by Achilles, then by his sons Andrea, Attila and Giovanni. In the first half of the 20th century, the Paganini collection was largely dispersed, with portions going to the Italian State (Biblioteca Casanatense in Rome), the Library of Congress in Washington, and to various private collectors. The present item has remained with the heirs until recently, when it was part of the sale of the remaining collection of the heirs of Nicolo Paganini. Sold together with xeroxed documentation from the original sale, this item and its provenance has been reviewed and authenticated by Dr. Maria Rosa Moretti, one of the world's leading authorities on Paganini.
With a history spanning at least 3000 years, it was only late in the 19th century that bloodletting was discredited as a treatment for most ailments. Harkening back to the Hippocratic notion of illness being caused by an imbalance of the four humors, treatments including bloodletting were designed to essentially remove an amount of the excessive humor by various means. Venesection was the most common procedure and usually involved the median cubital vein at the elbow, but many different veins could be used. Localized bloodletting often involved scarification, which meant scraping the skin with a cube-shaped brass box containing multiple small knives, followed by cupping, which involved placing a dome-shaped glass over the skin and extracting the air by suction or prior heating. It is known that Paganini received bloodletting treatment as early as 1796 in Parma, a treatment which weakened him and forced him into a period of rest in his father's house at Romairone in Val Polcevera near San Quirico. The present kit evidently dates from somewhat later, but as a man who suffered from many sicknesses throughout his life - syphilis, Marfan's Syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, tuberculosis, malnutrition, colitis, cancer, dental, visual, urological - it is a tool likely used by the great violinist with some regularity. (11124)
Ephemera