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Birth : 1874 in Mirecourt (Vosges) Death : 1954 in Mirecourt (Vosges)

Summary

You may have noticed that at Viaduct Violins, we particularly like the work of Léon MOUGENOT. In our opinion, this Mirecourt workshop has given us a regular, consistent and steady production that musician can still afford during a period of growing inflation in prices, even on second rate instruments.

Biography

Career
Léon, Victor, MOUGENOT started his apprenticeship with Emile LAURENT and then joined Georges MOUGENOT, a cousin of his father, in Brussels from 1887 to 1894.
Ne next worked for Paul BLANCHARD in Lyon, from 1894 - 1896, Paul JOMBAR in Paris in from 1896 - 1898, with whom he maintained commercial relations until the 1920s, providing him with violins of particular quality, of which example #2192 is well representative. and HILLS of London, until 1899 when he opened his own workshop in MIRECOURT at 4 avenue Victor Hugo.

Awards and medals
Gold medal at the 1909 Nancy international exhibition.

Production
Three different qualities in his production which can be classified by their label :
1 st : « Léon Mougenot » with date and number, stamp,  signed and dated to the inside back and top. See. #3161
2 sd : « Léon Mougenot Jacquet Gand », or « Léon Mougenot Gauché », dated to the side of the label. See. #3361 or 4707
3 rd : « Fait dans l'atelier de Léon Mougenot » or labeled « Copie de A. Stradivarius ». see 2838

JACQUET was the name of his wife, who belonged to the GAND family of MIRECOURT , a different family from the well-known GAND of Paris.
GAUCHÉ was his mother's name.

Works
Generally violins labeled «Léon Mougenot» with date and number are stamped to the inside back L‡M. inside a circle. These violins are also signed internally on the table or on the table and back and some of them are dated on the inside back. We have scarcely found the round stamp to the inside back of violins bearing the label «Léon Mougenot Jacquet Gand», but the few we have seen were bearing a number on the label and were signed on the inside table and back.
As scarcely we have found the round stamp inside violins labeled «Léon Mougenot Gauché», but none of them were signed as far as we know.
Any Leon MOUGENOT instrument with the stamp on the inside back with L‡M in a circle was personnaly made by LM and not a workshop instrument.

His violins are made mainly after Stradivari and more rarely after Guarneri models, the finest being coated with a rich red-brown or golden-brown varnish. He produced some cellos too, but the viola #4370 in display in the "Archives" section is the only viola we have been able to see so far.
His production, both violins and cellos, has gained a great reputation both for its workmanship and tonal qualities.

Beside the production bearing his own labels he worked for some other makers of his time among them Marcel VATELOT, Joseph TOURNIER, Léon BERNARDEL, Joseph HEL. On a more regular basis he made violins for Pierre HEL (Stradivarius Moderne) for whom he worked at least between 1919 and 1928 and for Paul JOMBAR as early as 1907. (see  #2192, #4728, #2695, #4304).
He also made violins for the HILL brothers and his work is still well appreciated in Great Britain.

The first violin we know from this maker is a violin bearing a Stradivarius label and signed to the inside table : « Leon Mougenot Gauche. Lyon. 1896 ». The last one is a violin bearing the « Léon Mougenot Gauché » label and dated 1950.

Collaborators :
All along his professional life he has trained more than 75 apprentices or collaborators among whom :
BISH Paul,
BISIACH Carlo and Leandro,
CROLET Paul
DUPUY Philippe ,
ENEL Charles,
ENEL Pierre,
HILL Albert PH. (1901)
JACQUEMIN René,
JOMBAR Louis et Jean-Paul,
MILLANT Max
RAGOT Lucien,
SCHMITT Lucien, (1910-1912)
STRIEBIG Jean,
VATELOT Marcel, 
VILLAUME Gustave.

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