EUGENE CUNIOT, AKA "CUNIOT-HURY" ONE, NO ONE AND ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND  

Obviously I apologize to the Master for my tiny plagiarism, but it fits perfectly to many craftsmen who worked in the penultimate historical period of French bowmaking. These, too, as Vitangelo Moscarda, had "one " fire brand, that turned in "no one " through the "hundred thousand" hands of those who had worked on it.

Violin bow Eugéne Cuniot aka "Cuniot-Hury"

Eugéne, Pierre Cuniot's son, a craftsman considered as "transitional" between Peccatte and Voirin's school , was born in Mirecourt on December 22, 1861.

Gifted by an excellent manual skill, although very young, he quickly learns the job rudiments , and already since 1873, when his father opened his own business, he is able to give a significant help in the workshop.

In the first period of his career, the stylistics are inspired by those one of his father, to whom he will remain faithful until his death in 1884 at only forty-five years.

Left alone, the style of his bows changes, moving progressively from the family's one to the new dominant C. N. Bazin's style, for both heads and frogs.

1894 is a turning point . Some trains just pass by once in a lifetime and He knew it, that's why on November 26 he marries the daughter of a well-known piano maker of the time, Francois Marguerite Hury.

After having smartly joinedd his wife's surname to his own , as Thibouville taught , his business begin to go much better. In 1901, he hires seven workers to meet all orders, and in his golden period , from 1906 to 1910 year of his death, he reaches up to twelve workers.

Being a very good master builder, he realizes that he must leave space to creative freedom to those building for him. This working way makes his bows to be very different, we often recognize Emile Francois Ouchard's hand, his right-hand man for example, but thanks to the non-imposition of any style the working quality is remarkably improved.

At the time of his death on June 29, 1910, the workshop went to the widow, and as it was expected , Emile Francois Ouchard managed it for many years .

The production, which Eugene leaves behind him is really huge. Besides bows stamped with his own brand, he builds many of them for different luthiers, without signing them. The quality of his work is not always steady, even if it has a good level. To paraphrase the old saying: " Gillet is the Sartory of the poors". "Cuniot-Hury is the C.N. Bazin of the poors" !

Workers hired after 1901 :

Emile Francois OUCHARD, Louis LAGONET, André Alfred PIROUE, Victor BROUILLIER, Albert OUDOT, Ernest BOUKO and Paul MASSICARD.

Workers hired from 1906 to 1910 :

Alexander MALINE, Pierre MALINE, Emile Francois OUCHARD, René MOINEL, Paul MASSICARD, Auguste MALINE, Jules MANGIN, Alfred LAMY ( Alfred Joseph's nephew), Emile BAUL, Jules BONTEMPS, Louis LAGONET and Albert THOMASSIN.

Eugéne Cuniot built for :

Paul BAUSCHER, COLLIN-MEZIN, DIENS, GAUTHIER & FILS a Tolone, GUARINI, Joseph HELL, Paul JOMBAR, Paul LORANGE, L. MOUGENOT, Paul SERDET.

So long.

Paolo