Jean-Marie Raoul (1766–1837) was a French crown lawyer and Justice at the Paris Cour de Cassation, as well as a musician and an enthusiastic friend of art.
However, his efforts, supported by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, the well-known Parisian luthier, to restore the gamba to practical use were in vain.
After Raoul's death, the instrument passed into the hands of Vuillaume, to form one of the greatest acquisitions of the museum of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
Dr. Jean-Paul-Henry Coutagne [fr], whose friends heard the instrument played by Raoul, described its sound as one of penetrating sweetness (une douceur penetrante de ces sons).
[a] The popular verdict was, however, not in favour of this revival of the gamba, which had not been heard of again until the early 20th century, when several musicians showed a renewed interest in historical instruments.