In 1967 I had the good fortune to acquire at an antique shop in Gent/Flanders the represented bassoon (shown here) made by the renowned Savary of Paris.
Jean Nicolas Savary died in Paris, rue Dauphine 16, on February 9th, 1853. The death certificate names him as "facteur d'lnstruments de Musique, ne a Guise (Aisne) marie a Rosalie Deroi." He was 71 years old.
He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Delcambre and gained the first prize in 1808. Subsequently Savary became solo bassoon at the Theatre des Italiens. As a son of an instrument maker, he seems to have made his own first instruments between 1810 and 1820. In 1823 he was "fournisseur de la Maison du Roi, de l'Academie et de l'Ecole Royale" and announced improved bassoons "a coulisse mecanique et de la culasse a bascule."
In the recurrent Paris Exhibitions Savary took no part. It is reported that after his death his business was bought by Galander and (in) 1854 by Georges Schubert, who died in 1857.
The instruments of Savary - bassoons and tenoroons - had an outstanding reputation. Let us take notice of some comments: ". . . The instrument was finally perfected by the well-known maker Savary, who, indeed, became to the bassoon what Stradavari was to the violin; and Savary bassoons are at the present day scarce and highly prized by players and collectors; and the peculiar singing quality of tone of these instruments has never been excelled in bassoons by other makers, before or since." (C. R. Day: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical Instruments Exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition London 1890. London 1891, p. 69) ". . . The Stradavari of the bassoon was Jean Nicolas Savary jeune of Paris, whose bassoons had a singing quality of tone. The present-day French bassoons are built after Savary's model." (N. Bessaraboff: Ancient European Musical Instruments. An Organological Study. Boston 1941, p. 131) ". . . The celebrated maker Savary jeune (Paris) finished work in 1850, but his instruments were passed down from generation to generation of bassoon-players like old violins, and several remained in use until the end of orchestral sharp pitch in the 1920's." (Anthony Baines: Woodwind Instruments and their History. London 1957, p. 335)
This particular Savary bassoon, with 8 flat brass keys and gold plated carved acanthus-work around the bell, is stamped: "Savary fils Jne / Eleve du Conservatoire / Royale de Musique rue / de Bussi St. Gain / a Paris. "Probably it was built in 1816 or 1817 when the Paris Conservatoire was named "Royale." Perhaps it was the bassoon used by Savary himself?
The length of the instrument is 1270 mm. The keys for F and G# have rollers. I will be happy to supply more details at request.