Eugène Cuniot “Cuniot-Hury” (1861-1910)

Eugene Cuniot “Cuniot-Hury”

Archetier Eugène Cuniot (1861-1910), better known as “Cuniot-Hury” after his marriage to the daughter of a famed piano maker, is a pivotal figure in France’s bow-making legacy. Born in Mirecourt to archetier Pierre Cuniot, Cuniot-Hury apprenticed under his father and took over the family firm after Cuniot père’s death in 1884. Cuniot-Hury’s bows mark the shift from the square Peccatte model to the rounded one preferred by Voirin and Bazin. He combined the best of both styles, keeping Peccatte’s powerful head but adopting Bazin’s frog.

Under Cuniot-Hury’s leadership, the workshop expanded and produced bows under its own label as well as for a variety of other brands, including Bailly, Gand & Bernardel, Collin-Mezin, Hel, and Mougenot. In 1901, Cuniot-Hury began hiring assistants to manage the workload. Cuniot-Hury provided his workers with plenty of room for creativity, resulting in a varied output and a valuable training ground for the next generation of archetiers, such as Joseph Alfred Lamy, Louis Morizot, and Albert Thomassin. One of these assistants, Émile François Ouchard, rose to become Cuniot-Hury’s collaborator, and he managed the atelier after Cuniot-Hury’s death in 1910.