Pierre Simon (1 December 1808 – 12 December 1881), was a French

archetier A bow maker is a person who builds, repairs, and restores antique or modern Bow (music), bows for bowed string instruments. These include violins, violas, cellos, double basses, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, etc. The French word for bowmaker (b ...

or musical bowmaker. Simon became one of the most important bowmakers of his time. He worked in Paris for Peccatte, Vuillaume and Gand Frères. In 1847 he purchased

Dominique Peccatte Dominique Peccatte (15 July 1810 – 13 January 1874) was a French luthier and above all a renowned bow maker. He was apprenticed in Mirecourt and later worked with Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. He is notable for adapting the "hatchet-shaped" typ ...

's business partnering with Joseph Henry until 1851. His bows have two distinct head models, one of his own and the other based on a Peccatte model. Not much is known about his early work. He probably apprenticed from the age of twelve in Mirecourt, working for someone like Pajeot (speculation based on the elegance of his work by P. Child). He arrived in Paris in 1838. According to experts, Simon started making bows at least as early as 1827. The earliest bow attributed to him, however, according to Raffin & Millant, was made for

Jean Baptiste Vuillaume Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (; 7 October 1798 – 19 March 1875) was a French luthier, businessman, inventor and winner of many awards. He was one of the finest French luthiers of the 19th century and a key figure in the world of violin making. ...

, and dates only to 1845 when he was thirty-seven years old. Simon entered partnership with

Joseph Henry Joseph Henry (December 17, 1797– May 13, 1878) was an American physicist and inventor who served as the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He was the secretary for the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, a precursor ...

from 1848-1851. Simon was one of the most skilled bowmakers ever. He made bows on several patterns and of varying weights. Sometimes he used a model similar to the Peccatte interpretation of

François Tourte François Xavier Tourte (1747 – 25 April 1835) was a French bow maker who made a number of significant contributions to the development of the bow of stringed instruments, and is considered to be the most important figure in the development of ...

, and these heavier Simon bows play similarly to Peccatte bows. On the other hand, the classic, bell-shaped Simon head is derived from an earlier Tourte model. These tend to be lighter and more flexible than the classic Peccatte model. The finest Simon bows have a highly attractive, lithe flexibility and a genuine beauty of tone. Some of his bows bear the stamp: "Simon a Paris." His best bows are strong, finely balanced sticks which produce a smooth and velvety tone. Simon is one of the few makers from 1850–1875 to have made octagonal bows either for himself or for Vuillaume. Pierre made few or no viola bows. The chamfer of a Simon bow follows a large, generous curve which can be seen from the profile. Also, the chamfers are quite symmetrical in a Simon bow. Pierre made bows for Vuillaume, Gand Frères, Gand & Bernardel Frères, George Chanot and Bernardel et Fils. Pierre's brother, Barthélémy, younger by two years, was also a bow maker.

Notes

General references

* * * * Les Luthiers Parisiens aux XIX et XX siecles Tom 3 "Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume et sa famille -

Sylvette Milliot ''Sylvette'' is a large concrete sculpture created by Pablo Picasso and the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar, which was erected in the city of Rotterdam in 1970. It is located on the corner of Westersingel next to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Th ...

2006 * * * Violins & Bows - Jost Thoene 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Pierre 1808 births 1881 deaths Bow makers 19th-century French businesspeople Luthiers from Paris