André Vigneron (1881-1924)

André Vigneron (fils) studied bow-making under his father, Joseph Arthur Vigneron (père). He eventually rose to become an assistant in Vigneron père’s Paris atelier and collaborated with his father and violinist Lucien Capet on the “Modèle Lucien Capet” bow. After Vigneron père’s death in 1905, Vigneron fils took over the family workshop. His early bows stayed extremely close to his father’s model, and his reverence for his father’s work is clear; Vigneron did not start stamping his bows with his own brand, “André Vigneron à Paris,” until 1910.

The new stamp reflected Vigneron’s developing personal style. He began producing bows with thin heads, round frogs, and intricately crafted buttons. Vigneron’s workshop seems to have closed during World War I, but by 1920, he had reopened and hired Auguste Husson and Marie-Louis Piernot. During this period, Vigneron continued occasionally using his father’s brand, “Vigneron – Paris.” Vigneron’s promising career was cut short when he died at the age of forty-three, but his bows have lived on and become highly valued by modern players.