Eugène Cuniot-Hury

Life and Career

Eugène Cuniot is likely the only bow maker whose name will always be linked to that of his wife, Françoise Marguerite Hury (1872–1945). She played such an important role that he added her last name to his shortly after their marriage. Cuniot-Hury has been a household name ever since.

Eugène Cuniot was the son of Pierre Cuniot (1939–1884) and Marie-Josephine Buclier (1840–1891). Both of his parents were born in Mirecourt and lived there their entire lives. Pierre Cuniot was a bow maker who, in all likelihood, had learned the trade from François Bazin between 1850 and 1855. Before going into business for himself in 1873, he supplied bows to the numerous workshops in Mirecourt; thereafter, he made bows under his own name.

As was customary in Mirecourt, Eugène learned the trade from his father. In addition to the influence of Peccatte and Voirin—the latter of whom was becoming increasingly popular—Pierre Cuniot made bows modeled after Vuillaume and more traditional bows modeled after Tourte and Lupot. As a result, Eugène received a broad education in his field.

When Eugène was 22 years old, his father died. He took over the business and soon had to contend with the rise of major competitors such as Charles Nicolas Bazin (1847–1918). Mirecourt was in the midst of a period of tremendous growth, causing the number of people in Mirecourt engaged in the manufacture of bows or stringed instruments to rise from 50 to 1,600 between 1820 and 1920. A few seized the opportunity and became major players, while less enterprising makers were forced to work for the larger workshops. Bazin was a charismatic man, widely respected for his social commitment; he served on the city council and, in addition, ran a workshop that, at the height of its fame, produced more than 3,000 bows per year. Virtually all the bows from his workshop were of excellent quality.

There were very few small, independent bow makers and violin makers in Mirecourt who could compete with the dominance of these giants, and even fewer who could compete with mass producers such as Thibouville-Lamy, in whose workshop—in addition to excellent violins and bows—some 1,000 workers produced 130,000 inexpensive instruments per year.

With the help of his wife, Françoise Marguerite Hury, whom he married in 1894, Eugène Cuniot did succeed in this endeavor. Cuniot made his bows using traditional methods and continued to do so. From 1901 to 1906, their business grew from six to twelve employees. Compared to Bazin’s workshop, which had sixteen employees at the time, this was an impressive achievement. Françoise was the daughter of a respected piano builder; she was wealthy but, above all, enterprising. To do justice to her contribution and dedication—but perhaps also because her father-in-law’s renowned name boosted the company’s visibility—the workshop was renamed “Maison Cuniot-Hury” just one year later. Both became highly respected figures in Mirecourt. Their joy at the success of their business was overshadowed by the death of their first child in 1897 and again in 1901, when their son was stillborn.

Eugène and Françoise gradually handed over technical management of the workshop to Emile-François Ouchard (1872–1951), who had been trained by Cuniot in 1887 and had continued to work there. Ouchard was a modest but highly skilled bow maker who had developed his own model and was held in high regard throughout the company. Cuniot and Ouchard granted their employees a great deal of freedom; a few worked in the style of Bazin or Ouchard, while others were allowed to create their own models.

When Eugene Cuniot died in 1910, Françoise Hury took over the company. She was assisted by Emile Ouchard. Together, they continued to run the company for many more years.

Work and Influence

Until 1885, Eugène Cuniot primarily made two models of bows: his father’s and Vuillaume’s (1798–1875). After that, he changed his style and began making models more closely based on those of Charles Nicolas Bazin. Over the years, we see the influence of Emile François Ouchard grow.

Many bow makers from Mirecourt sought new markets beyond France’s borders—sometimes in England and Italy, but certainly in America, where French bows were in high demand. Maison Cuniot-Hury did not do so; it limited itself to supplying bows to colleagues in Paris and a few other major cities within France. As the company grew, Cuniot hired bow makers whom he did not require to strictly adhere to a specific model. In the early years, he still used his father’s brand mark: “Cuniot”; later, he primarily stamped his work with the initials “~C.H.~”; and from 1895 onward, regardless of how different the models were, he used exclusively the brand mark “Cuniot-Hury.” Only the bows he made in the style of Tourte (1747–1835) or Lupot (1769–1804) did he not mark with his own name, but rather with “Tourte” or “Lupot.” After research, many bows stamped with “Cuniot-Hury” could be unequivocally attributed to Emile Ouchard.

Even though the bows that left the workshop varied considerably, the high standards that Cuniot and Ouchard set for their employees ensured that Maison Cuniot-Hury generally produced very high-quality bows that are still highly valued by musicians today.

Eugène Cuniot’s influence on his students and colleagues was not particularly significant. He generally let them create their own models. Ouchard played a more prominent role in that regard. Among those who worked with him were: Alexander, Pierre, and Auguste Maline; Émile François Ouchard; René Moinel; Paul Massigard; Jules Mangin; Alfred Lamy; Émile Baul; Jules Bontemps; Louis Lagonet; Albert Thomassin; and François Lotte.

Eugene Cuniot made bows for: Paul Bauscher, Collin-Mezin, Gauthier & Fils, Joseph Hel, Paul Jombar, Paul Lorange, Louis Mougenot, and Paul Serdet.

Sources

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

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

Jacquot, A., 1912, La Lutherie Lorraine et Française, Paris.

Henley W., 1959 Universal Dictionary of Violin and Bow Makers. Amati Publications. London.

Vannes, R., 1999, *Universal Dictionary of Instrument Makers*, Spa.

Tarisio; the Cozio archives, accessed in 2019.

Geneanet, accessed in 2019.

Archives Nationales de France, accessed in 2019.