A violin by Couesnon.

The company was originally founded by Pierre-Louis Gautrot, but it became Couesnon & Cie in 1883 after Amédée Couesnon (Gautrot’s son-in-law) took over. In 1885, the Paris-based company Gautrot Aîné & Cie—producing mainly of brass and woodwind instruments—expanded its operations into the manufacturing of stringed instruments. To lead this new venture, the company recruited Maurice Mermillot, an elite luthier who had previously refined his craft as a student and employee of the legendary Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. Under Mermillot’s direction, the workshop maintained dual production sites: in Paris and Mirecourt, the historic heart of French violin making. A greatly respected luthier Georges Cherpitel joined the firm in 1901, bringing further technical expertise. By 1913 the company had transitioned into Couesnon & Cie and further merged with the highly esteemed atelier of Léon Bernardel. Cuesnon also succeded in attracting another talented and recognized luthier Eugène Vincent Génod in 1927.

Labelled:

“COUESNON, Luthier  /  94, rue d’Angouleme, PARIS”

Size:

Body length – 358 mm