Louis Fourier Mangin (Gérard)

life

Around the age of twelve, he began his apprenticeship with one of the approximately 120 violin makers who were active in the town at that time. It is not documented who that was, but it is believed that he apprenticed with one of the violin makers from the Mangin family. They had been working as violin makers in Mirecourt for many years. Even back then, Mirecourt was known for the many skilled violin makers who had been born there or had received their training there. The apprenticeship for the craft of violin making lasted about six years; this was also the case for Louis Fourier Gérard, after which he would remain in the service of his master for several more years.

In 1822, he registered as a violin maker and opened his own workshop in his hometown. Initially, he mainly supplied unsigned instruments to various violin makers in and outside of Mirecourt, but that changed when he married Marie-Catherine Mangin in 1824. From that point on, he made violins and cellos under his own name. He continued to do so until 1827, the year Louis Fourier Gérard died.

Work and Influence

Initially, Louis Gérard made mainly violins modeled after Stradivari and Guarneri; these are well-built and reddish-brown in color. Later, he would focus more on building cellos, which he made primarily in the Stradivari style. His instruments are built and finished in the characteristic Mirecourt style. He branded his instruments with a triangular stamp: Gerard Mangin a Mirecourt; and as was often the case in Mirecourt, the first name was his own, and the second was that of his wife. All of his surviving instruments bearing the brand mark “Gerard & Mangin a Mirecourt” were therefore made after 1824.

Until 2108, researchers had assumed that the stamp “Gerard Mangin a Mirecourt” was used by a watchmaker whose first name was “Gérard” and whose last name was “Mangin.” At least, that is how he was listed in various handbooks and biographical notes. Instruments bearing this name were also auctioned. However, no birth, marriage, or death records with this name were found in any archive. It was not until 2018 that a researcher from Mirecourt discovered the records of Louis Fourier Gérard, his listing as a violin maker, the records of Marie-Catherine Mangin, and the marriage between the two. The stamp had to be interpreted differently. It did not refer to a single person, but to two. In Mirecourt, it was customary for a maker to include only his first initials—and not his full first name—next to his last name on his brand. Furthermore, upon closer examination, a sort of hyphen appeared to be present between “Gérard” and “Mangin.” This interpretation has since been adopted by researchers specializing in French violin making.

The instrument in the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund is a fine example of his work. In addition to Louis Fourier Gérard’s brand mark, a label bearing the name of J. B. Salomon á Paris was added later. This instrument maker lived fifty years earlier.

Sources

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

www:archives.lutherie.mirecourt.fr, accessed in 2019.

www:archives.recherches.vosges.fr, accessed in 2019.

www:luthier-mirecourt.fr, accessed in 2019.

www:geneanet.org, accessed in 2019.