Dictionary of Makers

Son of Mirecourt bowmaker François Xavier Bazin, Charles Nicolas Bazin inherited the family workshop in 1859 following his father's death from cholera. Charles Nicolas was only 18 at the time, but already had ample experience from his father's training, and the shop flourished under his leadership. He supplied bows to numerous shops in Paris, including Joseph Hel and Collin-Mézin. Over the ensuing four decades Bazin's shop employed many of Mirecourt's finest makers, producing thousands of high-quality bows of remarkable consistency. After his retirement in 1907, Bazin's son Charles Louis gradually took the lead, while Charles Nicolas remained a presence in the shop until his death in 1915. 

Although he began by using his father's Peccatte model, with its square head, in the 1860s many bow makers adopted the rounder Voirin model, Bazin included. He used four brand stamps, which read either 'Bazin' or 'C. Bazin.'