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Birth : 1835 in (Haute Savoie) Death : 1901 in Mirecourt (Vosges)

Biography

Maurice MERMILLOT was born on March 2, 1835, in Serraval, a commune in the Haute-Savoie region. According to GRILlET, he “ came to MIRECOURT at a very young age,” where he served his apprenticeship in the GAILLARD workshop.(1)  

Around 1855, he moved to Paris to join the workshop of J B VUILLAUME , and then GAND (1). As he was approaching age twenty- the age at which required military service occurred, these associations were short lived.

In 1855, the Kingdom of Sardinia, of which the Duchy of Savoy was a part, had established a system of military conscription. For those subject to it, the duration of service was four years.
One positive consequence of his military service was that while serving in the Piedmont region, he visited the Guadagnini workshop in Turin, where it is said he worked for some time. (1). While this connection is not definitively attested, it remains plausible: in 1859, having completed his service, Mermillot had two years before joining, in 1861, the workshop of Nicolas VUILLAUME.

The exact date of his return to Paris remains difficult to determine. Some place it in 1872, when he reportedly joined the prestigious firm of GAND & BERNARDEL, yet there are violins labeled "Aux Armes de Paris" dated as early as 1870.
As for his establishment at rue d’Argout in 1876, we have so far found no confirmation of this.
The label bearing the address 15, rue Fontaine-au-Roi, Paris, visible in the Cozio Archives (2), appears on only one known instrument to date (see Iconography). 

In 1885, he became workshop manager for the firm GAUTROT Aîné & Cie, which would become COUESNON & Cie in 1887. There, alongside his own production, he developed a line of instruments based on his personal model. However, it remains difficult to determine precisely how long this collaboration lasted. In 1889, the award of a silver medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle, as a collaborator of the firm, suggests that he was still active there at that time. (3)

From 1890 onwards, some violins bear a label indicating his residence at 18, rue Moret. It states that his instruments feature a patented "Nouveau système".
This is described as a “connecting piece” between the soundpost and the bass bar, “like a small bridge through which, when playing on any string, all the vibrations of the top plate are transmitted by the soundpost without any loss” (4) (see Iconography).

The gold medal he received as a collaborator of COUESNON at the 1900 Exposition only adds to the mystery surrounding his ties with the firm. 

Having retired to MIRECOURT, MERMILLOT died there on September 27, 1901. (5)

Works
In his early period, the style of his instruments is strongly influenced by his apprenticeship with GAILLARD, both in terms of model, color and treatment of the antiqued varnish.
From 1872 onwards, the F holes become more upright, the model widens, and the varnish, typically full, varies from orange to reddish-orange.
While some instruments are inspired by Guarneri del Gesù, the majority of his production is based on Antonio Stradivari.
The consistent quality of his work was rewarded in 1900 with a gold medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle.

Labels and stamps
- Maurice MERMILLOT / 51, Rue Fontaine-au-Roi, 51 / Paris
- 1870 to 1895: Antonius Stradiuarius / Maurice MERMILLOT Luthier A Paris - Blason de la ville de Paris with the underlying motto "AUX ARMES DE PARIS" - dated and numbered in ink
- From 1895 onwards: NOUVEAU SYSTEME Breveté S.G.D.G. / M. MERMILLOT Luthier 18 Rue Moret, 18 Paris - Signed and dated in ink on the label.
Rarely - initials may be found inside his instruments.

Honors and Awards
1889 Médaille d'Argent. Exposition Universelle de Paris (Collaborateur Maison Couesnon &Cie) (3)
1900 Médaille d'Or. Exposition Universelle de Paris (Collaborateur Maison Couesnon &Cie) (3)

Sources
(1) (Grillet Laurent 1901)
(3) Malou Haine. Tableau des expositions de 1798 à 1900. Avril 2008
(4) Claudia Fritz, Stéphanie Moraly (Dir.). Le violon en France du XIXe siècle à nos jours. Sorbonne Université Presses
(5) Archives des Vosges. (voir iconographie)

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