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Dominique Peccatte

*1810 , Mirecourt †1874 , Mirecourt

The town of Mirecourt was the cradle of French violin-making and bow-making. As early as 1735, there were about thirty violin makers and bow makers working there. That number had risen to two hundred by the time Dominique Peccatte was born there in 1810. His father was a wig maker and his mother a housewife. The family was well-to-do; the Peccatte family owned several prosperous vineyards near Mirecourt.

At that time, it was customary for the eldest son to follow in his father’s footsteps, but not Dominique—he became a bow maker. That wasn’t the obvious choice, but when J.B. Vuillaume opened a workshop in Paris for the construction of stringed instruments and bows, the fifteen-year-old Dominique was sent to him—not yet as a bow maker, but as an apprentice violin maker.

There, Dominique’s first teacher was Jean Pierre Marie Persoit. It is not certain where Persoit received his training, but experts suspect that François Lupot and possibly François Xavier Tourte were his teachers. They note that his bows bore a resemblance to those of both men. He had been employed by Vuillaume as a bow maker since 1826.

Workshop(s)

Parijs, 1826-1847

Mirecourt, 1847-1852

Parijs, 1852-1872

From this builder

Instrument

violin bow

Dominique Peccatte Paris, ±1850

played by
Carla Leurs

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Life Course

Vuillaume and Persoit, who had themselves started out as violin makers, saw in the young Dominique someone who was more than just talented, but who lacked the patience required for violin making. Dominique soon went on to become an apprentice bow maker. The talent Vuillaume saw in Dominique was so great that he bought him out of military service; this effectively secured Dominique’s commitment to work with him for a long time. Vuillaume’s workshop was a rich source of new discoveries and inventions in the field of violin making. Vuillaume enjoyed inspiring and challenging those who worked with him to innovate. It was not uncommon for him to take the credit himself. Dominique Peccatte would continue to work for Vuillaume for about six years. Over the years, a personal bond developed between these two strong personalities, one that would endure even after Dominique had left. For example, Vuillaume not only served as a witness at the wedding of Dominique Peccatte and Madeleine Pillot, but he was also the godfather of one of their daughters.

François Lupot died in 1838. His workshop enjoyed an exceptionally good reputation among Parisian musicians. Several skilled bow makers worked there, and the quality of the work was high. That year, Dominique Peccatte, who was 28 years old at the time and had been working for him for several years, took over François Lupot’s workshop. Peccatte soon proved to be a worthy successor; he took over not only the workshop but also a large portion of the clientele, and established his reputation as a skilled, intuitive bow maker.

The workshop grew, so Dominique invited his brother François to come work with him—not yet as a partner, but as an employee who made the frames for Dominique.

The Peccatte family in Mirecourt was wealthy. Partly because of this, Dominique was able to return to his hometown in 1847 to devote his time to what he loved most besides making bows: managing the family’s vineyards. His brother François had followed him from Paris to Mirecourt that same year. Although they worked together a great deal, they did not work side by side; each had his own workshop. In late 1851, François Peccatte left for the workshop where his brother had started out: Vuillaume’s in Paris.

Six months later, in 1852, Dominique moved from the house he had inherited from his parents in Mirecourt to Paris as well. In a large building behind Les Halles—which was then under construction and was set to become a new commercial hub—he opened a new studio. Once again, he was successful. Peccatte would remain there for twenty years. His name was spoken with great respect at the conservatory.

He had kept the house in Mirecourt all that time. He returned there around 1872 to devote himself entirely to winemaking this time. He would enjoy it for only two years; in 1874, Dominique Peccatte died in the midst of his vineyards.

Work and Influence

Dominique Peccatte’s early bows resemble those of his teacher, Jean Pierre Marie Persoit, in style. What is remarkable is that, upon closer examination of Dominique Peccatte’s work, no two bows turned out to be exactly alike. He worked intuitively and spontaneously without compromising the quality of his bows. Especially in his early years, many of his bows resemble those of F.X. Tourte. Virtually every bow plays well.

According to experts, his golden age began after he took over François Lupot’s workshop. His work from that period makes a powerful, confident impression. Around 1845, he began making bows that were once again more reminiscent of those by Leonard Tourte, Joseph René Lafleur, and Nicolas. During that period, he made most of his bows with gold and tortoiseshell mounts.

Dominique Peccate was a prolific bow maker; he made some bows in a single day. His legacy consists of many good to very good bows. Most of the bow sticks are round and brown-red in color.

Dominique Peccatte has made bows for, among others, the Gand brothers, François Lupot, Charles-Adolphe Maucotel, and Jean Baptiste Vuillaume. Dominique Peccatte is regarded as one of France’s greatest bow makers.