Dictionary of Makers

Claude Auguste Thomassin, like his first cousin Louis, broke with the family's saddle-making tradition to become a bowmaker. He apprenticed with Charles Nicolas Bazin, whose influence was paramount in Mirecourt during the late 19th Century, and began working for the firm of Gand & Bernardel in Paris around 1885. Many of his colleagues at the firm were devotees of the Voirin school, and Thomassin's work reflects that influence, though his model shows some evolution. His somewhat rounded ferrules, in particular, become even more rounded through the end of the century. Thomassin stayed with Bernardel until 1901, when the firm was taken over by Caressa & Français and he began to work on his own in conjunction with his work for other makers. Thomassin's personal bows are branded, "C. Thomassin à Paris." He left behind a substantial body of work, some of which is of exquisite quality.