The discovery of the New World brought a thriving trade in Brazilian Pernambuco wood to Miracourt, establishing a legacy of fine bowmaking.
Mirecourt, France is famous for two things: the making of bows for violins and stringed instruments, and the making of fine lace. That fact is as true today as it was in the 16th century.
But while Mirecourt’s history and the pedigree of its violin bows speak of refinement at the royal courts of European royalty and aristocracy, it is not without a little transatlantic controversy. This is due to the source of the most precious basic material used in the making of the best bows by the greatest archers of Mirecourt (“bowmen” as they are called). That material is Pernambuco wood.
When Portuguese explorers “discovered” Brazil in 1500, they immediately recognized the value of the land’s uniquely beautiful trees, particularly along its coasts. A rich degree of trade developed, felling various brazilwoods and shipping them to the Old World. In 1555, the French admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon tried to establish a colony there in part to harvest and import the wood.
That was not successful, but trade between Brazil and Europe in these forests prospered. This time period coincides with the rise of skilled and renowned bow makers and luthiers (violin makers) in Mirecourt. The city was a mercantilist hub, connected to the rapidly expanding world, trading goods, ideas, and culture.
Musical instrument craftsmanship began to diversify with ever-increasing wealth, so that in the 18th century bowmakers began to hone their craft of producing fine violin bows. Mirecourt’s history includes famous architects of the time: Dominique Peccatte, Emile Francois Ouchard, Eugene Sartory and Victor Fétique. Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, was one of the most renowned luthiers of Miracourt.
The bows of some of these archers are still in use today, with some fetching prices as high as $45,000 at auction and often being offered for sale in high-end violin shops. The supply from Pernambuco is severely restricted today due to overharvesting, so other woods are now used, making old master bows even more valuable.
Today, almost 500 years later, Mirecourt remains the bow-making capital of the world. While the First and Second World Wars created great difficulties (18 workshops employing nearly 700 people in 1925 had disappeared by 1945), the creation of the National Lutheran School in the 1970s at Mirecourt revived the archery professions, violinists and even guitar and mandolin makers. .
The city today has a museum dedicated to the history of violin making (Musée de la lutherie et de l’archèterie française), and what is known as the National Secondary School of Violin Making named after Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (Ecole Nationale de Lutherie Lycee Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume). Students at the school spend five years earning technical diplomas in violin making, arts trades degrees, and vocational qualifications. At least 24 hours a week are spent on benches making instruments and bows; the school’s focus is on violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and violas.
Just as the fine French lace of Mirecourt will always be cherished, and worn by far more than the aristocracy, so too are the bows and stringed instruments made in this beautiful French city today.