Charles Peccatte

Life and Career

Charles François Peccatte was born in Mirecourt, where his father, François Peccatte, was a bow maker. He employed five people, and together with his older brother Dominique, he was among the best in their field. François had worked for several prominent bow makers in Paris and, upon returning to Mirecourt, had started his own business. Although his work was not exceptionally expensive, some of his early bows are already considered among the finest made at that time.

In Mirecourt, most violin makers and bow makers were struggling due to fierce competition, and many left for Paris. The Peccatte family was well-to-do and owned a large house in Mirecourt. Yet the glamour of Paris also drew his parents there. They moved to the capital a few months after his birth. Their house was sold for a sum that would allow them to live comfortably for years to come.

Probably because he fell ill, François decided not to start his own business in Paris just yet, but to go back to working for Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, the great violin maker with whom he had previously collaborated and with whom he had remained friends. Vuillaume was extraordinarily successful and busy building a large business. He had plenty of work for Peccatte. Unfortunately, François Peccatte died at the age of 34; Charles was only five at the time. Around 1855, his mother met the bow maker Auguste Lenoble, who had been working in Paris for some time. Lenoble became her new partner; they moved in together, and he recognized Charles as his stepson.

Lenoble was a former student of François Peccatte and a skilled craftsman. He helped Charles Peccatte fully develop his talents within a few years and passed on his father’s knowledge to him. And with success, for in 1865 Charles Peccatte was also able to begin working with Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, just like his father. Jean Baptiste Vuillaume had by then become a prominent figure in Paris. He was an unparalleled all-around talent in his field—a perfect copyist, innovator, and source of inspiration—and led a vast empire. He offered Charles Peccatte the opportunity to work under the guidance of François Nicolas Voirin, one of his best bow makers.

François Voirin had been captivated by Vuillaume’s progressive ideas and had mastered the art of crafting his models to perfection. Not only did he craft the finest “Vuillaume” bows, but many of the innovations for which Jean Baptiste Vuillaume is renowned can undoubtedly be attributed to Voirin. Voirin was innovative and constantly improved his craft, even while working under Vuillaume. His work is still regarded as the gold standard of refinement. “Voirin” stands for “elegant, slender, and harmonious.” This exceptional bow maker became Charles Peccatte’s second mentor.

Charles Peccatte continued to make bows at Vuillaume until he was drafted into the army. Years earlier, Vuillaume had bought his uncle Dominique out of military service so he could work for him, but Charles Peccatte preferred to remain independent.

After his military service, it wasn’t easy to get back on track. He returned to Auguste Lenoble, whom his mother had since married, but he still needed another job to make ends meet. Lenoble began manufacturing the bows that Charles had developed, and Charles himself took an administrative job with the government. This gave him the opportunity to spend a few hours a day perfecting his craft alongside his regular work, as he himself later wrote.

In 1872, he met Marie Moullière, whom he married that same year and with whom he had a daughter. The family moved in with her parents, and since Lenoble and she were practically next-door neighbors, François was able to continue working in his own workshop. That year, he crafted several exceptionally beautiful bows, which he marked for the first time with his own brand stamp bearing his name: “Peccatte a Paris.” He also supplied other customers, including the renowned “Maison Gand et Bernardel frères” in Paris.

Two years later, Lenoble and Peccatte entered into a partnership. They were both registered at Rue de Clignancourt. From that point on, Lenoble had “Lenoble et Veuve Peccatte” printed on his stationery. By then, the Peccatte name had gained such a good reputation through the work of François and Dominique that Lenoble was eager to associate himself with it. This was likely against Charles’s wishes, and he severed his relationship with Auguste Lenoble immediately after his mother’s death.

After a falling-out with Vuillaume, François Nicolas Voirin left and started his own studio in 1870, located near Charles Peccatte’s. At first he worked alone, but later with Louis Thomassin and Joseph Alfred Lamy. They formed a close-knit group and worked together as friends. Voirin and Peccatte both participated in the World’s Fair held in Antwerp, where Voirin won a gold medal and Peccatte a silver medal.

By 1880, Charles Peccatte and his wife had found a new home that better allowed him to pursue his own path. It was located in the chic entertainment district, close to the Paris Opera. It marked the beginning of a successful period in his life. Appreciation for his work grew; after Antwerp, he won silver medals for several bows of his own design at the World’s Fair held in Paris four years later and was appointed the official bow maker for the Paris Opera.

Starting around 1900, he employed several assistants, initially just for the rough work; later, skilled bow makers joined the team, including Eugene Sartory.

The success of the Peccatte family name seemed to turn against him for a time when others began copying his work and even branded it with the “Peccatte” mark. Those bows, however, were of inferior quality. To prevent this from damaging his reputation, he wrote in the French trade almanac that he was truly the only bow maker with that name. “Peccatte a Paris” was his brand name and no one else’s. The effect, however, was virtually nil; the illegal copying simply continued.

Two more letters from him were found in the family archives, in which he offered his services to the administration of the Paris Conservatory in 1888 and 1889 to become “Archetier de la Conservatoire,” but they did not accept his offer. Eugene Gand was already the “Luthier de la Conservatoire,” and the administration saw no reason to change that. It does, however, demonstrate Charles Peccatte’s growing self-confidence.

Work and Influence

Charles Peccatte’s early work closely resembled that of Vuillaume. He had mastered the craft to perfection. He branded his ribs with “Peccatte a Paris.” After his departure, influences from Voirin began to appear.

Around 1880, his work became more elegant, and he gradually began crafting more luxurious bows with mounts made of gold, silver, tortoiseshell, and ivory. The influence of Vuillaume and Voirin had by then given way to a distinctive style of his own that bore a strong resemblance to that of his father and Dominique Peccatte. He branded them with a new stamp reading “Peccatte.”

Thanks to his growing popularity, he was able to bring to market not only his own canes but also a series made by his employees. For that work, he again used his first brand mark, “Peccatte a Paris.”

He remained very productive until 1910; after that, it was mainly his employees who took over the bow-making. He himself continued to run the workshop until his death in 1918.

Peccatte belongs to the category of bow makers from whom France derives its reputation as the most influential country in this field.

The Charles Peccatte violin bow in the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund was made by him around 1870 for the renowned “Maison Gand & Bernardel Frères” in Paris.

Sources

Millant, B., Raffin, J.F., 2000, *L'Archet: French Bowmakers, 1750–1950*. Paris.

Childs P., 1986, The bow makers of the Peccatte family, New York.

Tarisio, Cozio Digital Archive, accessed in 2021.

Vatelot, E., 1976, *Les Archets Français*. Nancy.

Geneanet, accessed in 2021.

Archives Nationales de France, accessed on 202.1

Fontainebleau-Paris Archives, accessed in 2021.

Mesdemarches.culture.france, accessed in 2021.