Léon Victor Mougenot (1874 - 1954) was a violin maker from Mirecourt (France), his production remains one of Mircourt's most estimated of the period.
son of Joseph Mougenot, was born in 1874 in Mirecourt (France), he belonged to one of the oldest Mirecourt instrument making familly. Léon Victor Mougenot started his apprenticeship at the age of 13 with Emile Laurent and then joined his father's cousin : Georges Mougenot, in Brussels (Belgium) until 1894. In 1894 he came back to Lyon in France where he worked two years with Emile Laurent at Paul Blanchard's workshop before moving to Paris in 1896 where he worked for Paul Jombard . In 1898 he spent a year in London working at HILL's before finally being able to start his own workshop in his hometown Mirecourt. In 1899 he opened this workshop on 4, avenue Victor Hugo, probably with the help of his future father in-law[1] Gabriel Jacquet (known as "Jacquet-Gand") a well known Violin Maker from Mirecourt. In this workshop *école spéciale de lutherie Maison Léon Mougenot-Jacquet-Gand*, several dozens of future famous makers were trained. In 1954 Léon Victor Mougenot died, aged 80.
His violins were mostly based on Stradivarius "The Messiah", or Joseh Guarnerius del Jesus. But he also made instruments inspired by the work of Nicolas Amati, Nicolas Lupot, J-B Vuillaume. In addition to his own Mirecourt production, he also made instrument for other makers or dealers such as Pierre Hel, Joseph Hel, Léon Bernardel, Paul Jombar. His production offered up to thirteen quality grades and used several different labels :"« Léon Mougenot » , « Léon Mougenot Jacquet Gand », « Léon Mougenot Gauché [2]», « Fait dans l'atelier de Léon Mougenot » « Copie de A. Stradivarius » . His finest instruments were coated with a rich golden-brown varnish and a distinctive artificial wear pattern. Some were branded. His instruments quickly acquired a great reputation both for their workmanship and tonal qualities. They are today more than ever apreciated and highly regarded as exellent value for price.
Gold medal at the 1909 Nancy international exhibition.
All along his professional life he taught more than fifty apprentices : Paul Bisch, Giacomo and Léandro Bisiach, Marcel Claude, Henry-Jules Clément, Pierre and Paul Crolet, Raymond et Eugène-Marcel Delprato, Philippe Dupuy, Charles and Pierre Enel, Nicolas Geisser, François-Charles Guinot, Frédérique-Marie-Joseph Jacquet, Fernand Jacquot, Louis and Jean-Paul Jombar, Emile L'Humbert, André-Denis Marchal, Antoine Marchand, Charles Meinel de Londres, Max Millant, Charles-Georges Morizot, Eugène Perrard, Louis Piernot, Edmond Poignant, Lucien-André Ragot, Lucien Schmitt, Jean Striebig, Marcel Vatelot and Gustave Villaume.
Mougenot (Gauche),Leon Victor
