The Peccatte family of bow makers was active from the 1830s to 1918 and shaped French stringed bow making with works that had a formative influence and are still highly sought after by musicians and collectors today. Given their importance to the history of craftsmanship and music, it is surprising that the Peccattes – unlike other equally influential bow-making dynasties such as the Knopf family in Markneukirchen, Saxony, did not establish extensive family and teacher-student relationships. Instead, their entire reputation rests on the work of just three masters – Dominique Peccatte, his brother François Peccatte, and François's son Charles Peccatte – of whom François also died before he could reach his full potential.
Dominique Peccatte and the Peccatte family of bow makers: overview
- Dominique Peccatte
- The early Dominique Peccatte
- Dominique Peccatte between Paris and Mirecourt
- The work and influence of Dominique Peccatte
- François Peccatte
- Charles Peccatte
- Charles Peccatte – early influences
- “Peccatte in Paris”
- Charles Peccatte and Eugène Sartory
Dominique Peccatte (1810–1874)
The young Dominique Peccatte at J. B. Vuillaume
Dominique Peccatte (1810–1874) was born in the violin-making town of Mirecourt, but began his professional life as an apprentice hairdresser and wig maker, following in his father's footsteps. As the family was well established and quite wealthy, it is not easy to understand why the young Dominique Peccatte apparently abandoned the path laid out for him while still in training. However, the recommendation that Nicolas Vuillaume gave to his brother Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume in 1826 proved that he had made the right decision, thus opening the door to the young talent.meister-portraits/jean-baptiste-vuillaume-notes-on-life-and-work in 1826, opening the door to Vuillaume's up-and-coming Paris workshop for the young talent.
Dominique Peccatte turned to bow making under the guidance of Jean Pierre Marie Persoit (c. 1783–c. 1854) at Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume's workshop, where he found excellent opportunities for development in this inspiring environment. He remained with Vuillaume for ten years, whose appreciation for Peccatte is evidenced, among other things, by the fact that he bought him out of impending military service in 1830.
Dominique Peccatte between Paris and Mirecourt
In 1836, Dominique Peccatte moved to François Lupot, probably already with the prospect of one day taking over the workshop of his aging master, which he did after Lupot's death in 1838. As an experienced, mature master at the height of his powers, Dominique Peccatte quickly built up an excellent reputation among musicians and leading Parisian violin makers; his discoverer, J. B. Vuillaume, was also among his customers.
His own workshop also provided the setting for a reunion with his brother François Peccatte, who worked for Dominique between 1841 and 1843. François had followed in the footsteps of his successful brother Dominique and also become a bow maker; now he was able to hone his skills with him, and the Peccatte brothers clearly laid the foundations for a professional partnership that would intensify years later. The coincidence with the death of their father invites speculation about the reason for this long working stay; what is certain, however, is that the brothers worked closely together during these years, as documented by several bows with a rod made by one and the frog by the other.
In 1843, François returned to Mirecourt, followed in 1847 by Dominique, who had sold his Paris workshop to his long-time employee Pierre Simon. His fortune and his still thriving business enabled Dominique Peccatte to devote more time to viticulture and other activities without giving up bow making entirely until his retirement in 1872, two years before his death on January 13, 1874.
The work and influence of Dominique Peccatte
One of the most significant influences on Dominique Peccatte's work was undoubtedly his teacher Jean Pierre Marie Persoit, whose work combined the tradition of François Xavier Tourte, which was dominant at the time, with the style of François Lupot.
With the opening of his own workshop, Peccatte's personal style became apparent and rapidly gained influence in French bow making from the 1840s onwards. Beyond the often-mentioned characteristic shape of the axe-like head, his work is distinguished by details such as the deeply cut frog mouths and elegantly tapered legs, but also by the slightly triangular, downward-widening cross-section of his otherwise round sticks, which gives them greater lateral stability.
Dominique Peccatte had a direct influence on the work of his brother François Peccatte, his pupil Joseph Henry (1823–1870) and his colleague and successor Pierre Simon (1808–1881). His nephew Charles Peccatte did not seek stylistic inspiration from the work of his uncle and his father François Peccatte until later in life, which makes the Peccatte family tradition seem even more pronounced than it already is.
François Peccatte (1821–1855)
François Peccatte was Dominique Peccatte's younger brother by 11 years, and it does not take much speculation to conclude that his decision to become a bow maker was influenced by his brother's good example. He also followed Dominique to Paris and probably tried to gain a foothold there before 1840. Regardless of where he began his career, the time he spent with his brother between 1841 and 1843 was the formative period that made François Peccatte the outstanding master he was—or could have been.
The start was promising with his own workshop after he returned to Mirecourt: almost from the beginning, he was able to employ several people and apparently made clever use of the price advantage that the Mirecourt wage level gave him over the competition in Paris. The fact that he continued to run his studio independently after Dominique Peccatte returned to Mirecourt in 1847 also suggests that he had a stable livelihood – there was apparently no need to join forces with his wealthy and well-established brother. Occasional collaborations are nevertheless known and suggest that this decision was not motivated by family discord.
In 1852 and 1853, François Peccatte returned to Paris for a short time – without giving up his business in Mirecourt – and worked for J. B. Vuillaume for unknown reasons.
On October 30, 1855, his untimely death in Mirecourt ended a career that was still very promising from both a business and artistic perspective. The relatively large age difference between the two Peccatte brothers would have provided opportunities to rebalance their position in the market for fine French violins; the great talent of François Peccatte promised interesting developments in the family style, which might have had an even greater impact if François had been able to train good students and successors.
Charles Peccatte (1850–1918)
Charles Peccatte – early influences
Charles Peccatte (1850–1918) was born in Mirecourt, the son of François Peccatte and nephew of Dominique Peccatte. Following the early death of his father in 1862, he also turned to bow making. After apprenticing with his stepfather Auguste Lenoble (1828–1895), he moved to J. B. Vuillaume in 1865, again following in the family footsteps and undoubtedly supported by the connection that François and Dominique had established with Vuillaume and always kept alive.
At Vuillaume, Charles Peccatte worked under François Nicolas Voirin (1833–1885). Although the legacy of the two older Peccattes was still alive in French bow making, especially at Vuillaume, Charles was less influenced by the family tradition—which was as brief as it was powerful—than by Voirin, who was the creative driving force and defining influence behind bow making at Vuillaume at that time. family tradition than by Vuillaume, who was the creative driving force and defining influence behind bow making at Vuillaume at that time.
“Peccatte à Paris”
In 1870, Charles Peccatte left the Vuillaume workshop and attempted to set up his own business – a venture that, for unknown reasons, was only partially successful. The brand name “PECCATTE A PARIS,” which he used for the first time during this period, quickly disappeared for many years. In 1874, he initially returned to Auguste Lenoble's workshop and worked part-time as a civil servant until around 1880 in order to support his family.
After moving to the vicinity of the Paris Opera, the situation gradually improved; Charles Peccatte's work now gained the recognition that his great name promised, as documented by a silver medal in Antwerp in 1885 and another in Paris in 1899. From 1900 onwards, he was no longer able to cope with the incoming orders on his own and had some of his work done by colleagues, some of whom were well-known.
But his personal art was also at its peak during this period, and almost 30 years after it was first used, the stamp “PECCATTE A PARIS” gained a new raison d'être – and a new meaning: as the hallmark of the workshop bows from the house of Charles Peccatte. This successful period of peak creativity lasted until 1910, but it is likely that Peccatte continued to work until his death on October 22, 1918.
Charles Peccatte and Eugène Sartory
Among the assistants employed by Charles Peccatte during his most successful period was Eugène Sartory (1871–1946), whose early work was strongly influenced by his employer and can be considered the most significant teacher-student relationship of Charles Peccatte's career. Since Peccatte's work during this period was characterized by a certain return to the artistic heritage of his father and uncle— as can be seen, for example, in the somewhat stronger execution of the arches compared to the influential, slimmer model by Lamy – it does not seem entirely unjustified to draw a delicate line of tradition from Dominique and FrançPeccatte to Charles Peccatte to Eugène Sartory.
Originally published by Corilon violins.
