{"id":31405,"date":"2025-11-18T16:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T15:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/?p=31405"},"modified":"2025-11-25T14:55:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T13:55:36","slug":"https-vichy-encheres-com-2025-11-18-pascal-camurat-archetier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/en\/2025\/11\/18\/https-vichy-encheres-com-2025-11-18-pascal-camurat-archetier\/","title":{"rendered":"Pascal Camurat, dans le sillage de la grande \u00e9cole fran\u00e7aise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u00c0 l\u2019occasion de la vente du 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025, Vichy Ench\u00e8res pr\u00e9sente deux archets de Pascal Camurat, figure reconnue de la g\u00e9n\u00e9ration d\u2019archetiers fran\u00e7ais form\u00e9s dans la continuit\u00e9 de la grande tradition de Mirecourt. Issu de l\u2019enseignement transmis par St\u00e9phane Thomachot, lui-m\u00eame \u00e9l\u00e8ve de Bernard Ouchard, Pascal Camurat appartient \u00e0 ce courant qui, depuis les ann\u00e9es 1980, a renouvel\u00e9 la facture de l\u2019archet fran\u00e7ais tout en pr\u00e9servant son exigence et sa rigueur. Red\u00e9couvrez sans plus tarder cet archetier, \u00e0 la lumi\u00e8re de certains de ses propos recueillis par Vichy Ench\u00e8res. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Catalogue<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Vente du 1er d\u00e9cembre 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Vente du 2 d\u00e9cembre 2025 <\/em><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Vente du 3 d\u00e9cembre 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Vente du 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Contact<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Experts<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
English version<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n
Pascal CAMURAT – archet de violon fait vers 2000..
Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n
Pascal CAMURAT – archet de violon fait vers 1995.
Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Origines et premiers contacts avec le m\u00e9tier<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Rue<\/a>
Rue de Rome \u00e0 Paris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jacques<\/a>
Jacques Camurat dans son atelier rue de Rome – image extraite du documentaire La Guitare de 1969. \u00a9 ina.fr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Fils du luthier Jacques Camurat (1927-2016), Pascal Camurat grandit dans l\u2019atelier familial du 49 rue de Rome – adresse embl\u00e9matique de la lutherie parisienne.
Ce quartier, situ\u00e9 \u00e0 proximit\u00e9 du Conservatoire national sup\u00e9rieur de musique et de la gare Saint-Lazare, rassemble depuis la fin du XIXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle la majorit\u00e9 des ateliers et marchands d\u2019instruments \u00e0 cordes de la capitale. Des g\u00e9n\u00e9rations de musiciens s\u2019y rendent pour faire r\u00e9gler ou restaurer leurs instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L\u2019atelier fond\u00e9 par Jacques Camurat en 1956 y jouit d\u2019une solide r\u00e9putation, \u00e0 la fois pour ses restaurations et pour la qualit\u00e9 de ses instruments neufs. C\u2019est dans ce contexte que Pascal Camurat baigne, d\u00e8s l\u2019enfance, dans le monde de la lutherie et de la musique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLe m\u00e9tier de luthier s\u2019est pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 \u00e0 moi par mon p\u00e8re, et il correspondait parfaitement \u00e0 mon besoin de fabriquer des objets en tout genre d\u00e8s mon plus jeune \u00e2ge. L\u2019univers de la lutherie \u00e9tait parfaitement adapt\u00e9 pour \u00e9veiller ma curiosit\u00e9.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jacques<\/a>
Jacques Camurat dans son atelier rue de Rome – image extraite du documentaire La Guitare de 1969. \u00a9 ina.fr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Jacques<\/a>
Jacques Camurat, Grande arpeggione, Paris, 1984. Instrument vendu par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 24 mai 2014. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jacques<\/a>
Jacques Camurat, Alto, Paris, 1970. Instrument vendu par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 6 juin 2024. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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La formation \u00e0 Mittenwald (1979 – 1983)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\u00c0 la fin des ann\u00e9es 1970, Pascal Camurat int\u00e8gre l\u2019\u00e9cole de lutherie de Mittenwald, fond\u00e9e en 1858 et consid\u00e9r\u00e9e comme l\u2019un des grands centres europ\u00e9ens d\u2019enseignement de la facture instrumentale. Sous la direction de son ma\u00eetre Roland Sandner, il suit une formation compl\u00e8te en lutherie. Dipl\u00f4m\u00e9 en 1983, Pascal Camurat conserve de ces ann\u00e9es de formation un savoir-faire et une discipline de travail encore \u00e0 l’\u0153uvre aujourd\u2019hui. Comme il nous le confie humblement :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cRoland Sandner m\u2019a marqu\u00e9 \u00e0 vie.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\"Photographie
Photographie de Jacques Camurat – Archives personnelles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Mittenwald,<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>
Mittenwald, Allemagne.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Los Angeles : Weisshaar, Siefried et les premiers archets (1984 – 1987)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Goupillage<\/a>
Goupillage de coulisse – archive personnelle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Apr\u00e8s Mittenwald, Pascal Camurat rejoint son fr\u00e8re Bernard – lui-m\u00eame \u00e9l\u00e8ve de Jean Eulry de Mirecourt – \u00e0 Los Angeles, o\u00f9 celui-ci travaille d\u00e9j\u00e0 dans l\u2019atelier de Hans Weisshaar.
N\u00e9 en Allemagne et form\u00e9 \u00e0 Markneukirchen, Weisshaar s\u2019\u00e9tait install\u00e9 en Californie apr\u00e8s la Seconde Guerre mondiale et son atelier \u00e9tait devenu une r\u00e9f\u00e9rence internationale en mati\u00e8re de restauration d\u2019instruments \u00e0 cordes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dans ce contexte, Pascal Camurat d\u00e9couvre la diversit\u00e9 des pratiques et des exigences des musiciens. C\u2019est l\u00e0 qu\u2019il rencontre Paul Siefried, archetier am\u00e9ricain form\u00e9 par William Salchow et consid\u00e9r\u00e9 comme l\u2019un des meilleurs de sa g\u00e9n\u00e9ration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIl m\u2019a enseign\u00e9 l\u2019entretien des archets et m\u2019a fait faire mon tout premier archet, que je d\u00e9tiens encore.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cette exp\u00e9rience am\u00e9ricaine fut fondatrice puisqu\u2019elle permit \u00e0 Pascal Camurat de fabriquer son premier archet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Los
Los Angeles, ann\u00e9es 1980.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n
Archet de violon-alto, fait au profit de l’IPCI, sign\u00e9 S. Thomachot, Ch. Espey, N. Burke, K. Gr\u00fcnke et P.M. Siefried.
instrument vendu par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 5 d\u00e9cembre 2018.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Paris et Londres : perfectionnement aupr\u00e8s de Thomachot et Beare (1987 – 1988)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"St\u00e9phane<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"St\u00e9phane<\/a><\/figure>\n
St\u00e9phane Thomachot, archet de violon, vers 1985.
instrument vendu par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 3 d\u00e9cembre 2020.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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De retour \u00e0 Paris, Pascal Camurat se perfectionne aupr\u00e8s de St\u00e9phane Thomachot, figure centrale de l\u2019arch\u00e8terie fran\u00e7aise contemporaine. Ancien \u00e9l\u00e8ve de Bernard Ouchard \u00e0 Mirecourt, St\u00e9phane Thomachot a jou\u00e9 un r\u00f4le d\u00e9terminant dans la transmission du savoir-faire fran\u00e7ais depuis les ann\u00e9es 1980. Pour Pascal Camurat, ce travail aupr\u00e8s de Thomachot fut essentiel et il estime que sans lui, il n\u2019aurait :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cjamais pu approcher d\u2019aussi pr\u00e8s le savoir-faire d\u2019excellence.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Par la suite, il compl\u00e8te sa formation \u00e0 Londres, dans l\u2019atelier de Charles Beare – la c\u00e9l\u00e8bre institution fond\u00e9e en 1892 – o\u00f9 il participe \u00e0 la restauration d\u2019instruments historiques et consolide son exp\u00e9rience au sein d\u2019une \u00e9quipe de sp\u00e9cialistes reconnus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il y travaille alors plusieurs mois, au contact de restaurateurs exp\u00e9riment\u00e9s tels que Peter Gibson. Ce passage chez Beare – rare pour un jeune luthier fran\u00e7ais – parach\u00e8ve une formation internationale fond\u00e9e sur la pr\u00e9cision et l\u2019observation des grands ma\u00eetres, anciens et contemporains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Des archets couvrant plus de 70 ans de cr\u00e9ation de la famille Ouchard<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Londres.\"
Londres.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paris.\"
Paris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Charles
Charles Beare.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Camurat Fr\u00e8res : la continuit\u00e9 familiale (1990 – 2000)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Copeaux<\/a>
Copeaux d’\u00e9rable et de pernambouc m\u00eal\u00e9s chez un luthier-archetier – Archives Pascal Camurat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Photographie<\/a>
Photographie personnelle d’atelier de Pascal Camurat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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En 1990, \u00e0 la retraite de leur p\u00e8re, Pascal et Bernard Camurat reprennent l\u2019atelier familial sous le nom de \u201cCamurat Fr\u00e8res\u201d.
Ils y r\u00e9orientent l\u2019activit\u00e9 vers la lutherie du quatuor et l\u2019arch\u00e8terie, abandonnant le commerce de guitares que leur p\u00e8re avait d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 dans les ann\u00e9es 1960.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMon fr\u00e8re et moi n\u2019avions aucune comp\u00e9tence li\u00e9e \u00e0 cet instrument. L\u2019activit\u00e9 s\u2019est alors tout naturellement ax\u00e9e sur la lutherie du quatuor, et en ce qui me concerne, sur l\u2019arch\u00e8terie<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dans les ann\u00e9es 1990, l\u2019atelier devient l\u2019un des plus productifs de Paris. Plusieurs luthiers y travaillent, contribuant \u00e0 sa notori\u00e9t\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cL\u2019atelier \u00e9tait, dans les ann\u00e9es 1990, celui qui produisait le plus d\u2019instruments neufs.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Pascal Camurat partage alors son emploi du temps entre l\u2019arch\u00e8terie les matins, comprenant la r\u00e9paration et la fabrication, et la lutherie les apr\u00e8s-midis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La rigueur, la d\u00e9licatesse et la s\u00e9r\u00e9nit\u00e9 dans le travail de Bernard Camurat, dont l’atelier \u00e9tait situ\u00e9 \u00e0 Montigny-sur-Loing, sera pendant cette p\u00e9riode pour Pascal un pr\u00e9cieux atout face au tumulte parisien de le rue de Rome. Enfin, apr\u00e8s dix ans, le besoin de poursuivre sa voie loin de cette agitation l\u2019amena \u00e0 d\u00e9m\u00e9nager \u00e0 Montpellier o\u00f9, pour reprendre ses mots, il se \u201cconsacre aujourd’hui paisiblement\u201d \u00e0 la production d’archets et, plus rarement, \u00e0 celle des violons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n
Pascal Camurat – violon fait en 2008 – archive personnelle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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L\u2019archetier : la recherche du juste \u00e9quilibre<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Atelier<\/a>
Atelier de Pascal Camurat -archive personnelle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a>
Pascal Camurat au travail dans son atelier -archive personnelle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u00c0 partir des ann\u00e9es 2000, Pascal Camurat se consacre de plus en plus exclusivement \u00e0 l\u2019arch\u00e8terie. Interrog\u00e9 sur ce qui d\u00e9termine le plus son travail, il r\u00e9pond \u201cle son\u201d pour le violon ; \u201cla prise en main\u201d pour l\u2019archet. Le rapport \u00e0 la mati\u00e8re est donc central dans son travail d\u2019archetier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBien qu’on s’acharne \u00e0 concentrer notre travail sur la constance du respect de nos mod\u00e8les, le bois ne nous conduit jamais deux fois exactement au m\u00eame r\u00e9sultat. C’est cette diversit\u00e9 que la mati\u00e8re nous propose qui nous pousse toujours \u00e0 mieux la comprendre et \u00e0 tenter de l’optimiser d\u00e8s qu’on s’en empare.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cette diff\u00e9rence propre \u00e0 la nature du bois rappelle que chaque archet est une pi\u00e8ce unique, dont l\u2019\u00e9quilibre d\u00e9pend autant du bois que de l\u2019ultime geste de l\u2019archetier. Cette attention au point d\u2019\u00e9quilibre – ni trop, ni trop peu – semble r\u00e9sumer la conception que se fait Pascal Camurat du m\u00e9tier. Pour lui, la partie la plus d\u00e9licate et excitante du travail r\u00e9side dans les derniers instants du fa\u00e7onnage, c\u2019est-\u00e0-dire :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cles derni\u00e8res minutes pendant lesquelles quelques dixi\u00e8mes de gramme de bois vont sortir du rabot pour optimiser une baguette, ce moment o\u00f9 l\u2019on s\u2019arr\u00eate juste avant que.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sobri\u00e9t\u00e9 et exigence<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n
Pascal Camurat – Archet d’apr\u00e8s l’archet de Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Tourte vendu \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 30 novembre 2017.
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\"Marque<\/a>
Marque de Pascal Camurat sur un archet -archive personnelle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dans la pratique de Pascal Camurat, les influences ne se traduisent ni par la recherche d\u2019un style identifiable, ni par la volont\u00e9 d\u2019appartenir \u00e0 une \u00e9cole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cComme toute \u00e9cole ou enseignement que l\u2019on re\u00e7oit, la premi\u00e8re chose \u00e0 faire est de s\u2019en \u00e9manciper pour d\u00e9velopper un temp\u00e9rament de travail identifiable. Cependant une formation comme celle de Thomachot ou Sandner, \u00e7a vous marque \u00e0 vie !<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ces deux figures, rencontr\u00e9es \u00e0 des moments d\u00e9cisifs de son parcours, ont chacune contribu\u00e9 \u00e0 structurer sa m\u00e9thode. Ces enseignements constituent moins des mod\u00e8les \u00e0 reproduire qu\u2019un ensemble de principes transmis. Son approche s\u2019inscrit donc dans la continuit\u00e9 d\u2019une exigence acquise au contact de ses ma\u00eetres.

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\"Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier<\/a><\/figure>\n
Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Tourte, archet de violon.
Instrument vendu par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 30 novembre 2017 – Record mondial de l\u2019archet le plus cher jamais vendu aux ench\u00e8res.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cQuand on a la chance de fr\u00e9quenter des ateliers de haut niveau, ce que l\u2019on retient, c\u2019est le taux d\u2019exigence \u00e0 appliquer au quotidien dans son travail.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entretien avec Pascal Camurat, novembre 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cette exigence, devenue m\u00e9thode, guide aujourd\u2019hui l\u2019ensemble de son activit\u00e9.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dans cette recherche de l\u2019excellence, il reconna\u00eet avoir adopt\u00e9 la sobri\u00e9t\u00e9 des lignes de Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Tourte, \u00e9voquant comme source d\u2019inspiration l\u2019archet de violon \u201cfleur de coin\u201d vendu \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res en 2017 – celui qui d\u00e9tient le record du monde pour un archet.
Pascal Camurat se place ainsi dans une lign\u00e9e o\u00f9 la qualit\u00e9 du r\u00e9sultat prime sur la reconnaissance du nom, une conception du m\u00e9tier fond\u00e9e sur la discr\u00e9tion et la recherche de perfection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u00c0 travers ses archets, Pascal Camurat illustre la continuit\u00e9 d\u2019une \u00e9cole fran\u00e7aise attach\u00e9e \u00e0 la pr\u00e9cision et \u00e0 l\u2019amour du travail bien fait, dont les deux pi\u00e8ces pr\u00e9sent\u00e9es \u00e0 la vente du 4 d\u00e9cembre 2025 en sont de nouveaux t\u00e9moignages.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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PASCAL CAMURAT, FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEP OF THE GREAT FRENCH SCHOOL<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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During its sale on 4 December 2025, Vichy Ench\u00e8res will auction two bows by Pascal Camurat, a renowned figure amongst the French bow makers trained in the great tradition of Mirecourt. Pascal Camurat was taught by St\u00e9phane Thomachot, who was a pupil of Bernard Ouchard, and, since the 1980s, has been at the forefront of the revival of French bow making, whilst preserving its exacting standards and precision. Below are extracts of an interview of the maker by Vichy Ench\u00e8res, providing an opportunity to find out more about this maker through some of his thoughts.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Catalog<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 1 December 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 2 December 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 3 December 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 4 December 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Contact<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Experts<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Version fran\u00e7aise<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n
Pascal CAMURAT – violin bow made around 2000..
Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Auctions on 4 December 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n
Pascal CAMURAT – archet de violon fait vers 1995.
Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Auctions on 4 December 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Family background and early introduction the craft<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Rue<\/a>
Rue de Rome in Paris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jacques<\/a>
Jacques Camurat in his studio on Rue de Rome \u2013 image taken from the documentary La Guitare de 1969. \u00a9 ina.fr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pascal Camurat is the son of violin maker Jacques Camurat (1927-2016), and he grew up above the family workshop at 49 rue de Rome \u2013 an iconic address in Parisian violin making. This area, located near the Conservatoire National Sup\u00e9rieur de Musique<\/em> and the Saint-Lazare train station, has been home to the majority of the capital’s stringed instrument workshops and dealers since the late 19th<\/sup> century. Generations of musicians have come here to have their instruments adjusted or restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workshop founded by Jacques Camurat in 1956 enjoyed a strong reputation, both for its restorations and for the quality of its new instruments. It was in this context that Pascal Camurat was immersed in the world of instrument making and music from childhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe profession of violin maker was introduced to me by my father, and it perfectly suited my desire to make all kinds of objects from a very young age. The world of instrument making was a perfect environment to awaken my curiosity<\/em>.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jacques<\/a>
Jacques Camurat in his studio on Rue de Rome \u2013 image taken from the documentary La Guitare de 1969. \u00a9 ina.fr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Jacques<\/a>
Jacques Camurat, Grande arpeggione, Paris, 1984. Instrument sold by Vichy Auctions on 24 May 2014. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jacques<\/a>
Jacques Camurat, Alto, Paris, 1970. Instrument sold by Vichy Auctions on 6 June 2024. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Training in Mittenwald (1979 – 1983)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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In the late 1970s, Pascal Camurat enrolled at the Mittenwald School of Violin Making, founded in 1858 and considered one of Europe\u2019s leading centres for instrument making. Under the tutelage of his mentor Roland Sandner, he received comprehensive training in violin making. He graduated in 1983, and these training years provided him with excellent technical foundations and strong work ethics which are still with him to this day. As he tells us, modestly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cRoland Sandner had a great impact on my<\/em> life.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\"Photographie
Photograph by Jacques Camurat – Personal archives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Mittenwald,<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>
Mittenwald, Allemagne.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Los Angeles : Weisshaar, Siefried and the first bows (1984 – 1987)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Goupillage<\/a>
Sliding rail assembly – personal archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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After Mittenwald, Pascal Camurat joined his brother Bernard \u2013 a student of Jean Eulry in Mirecourt \u2013 in Los Angeles, where Bernard was already working in Hans Weisshaar\u2019s workshop. Weisshaar was born in Germany and trained in Markneukirchen, before settling in California after World War II, and his workshop became an international reference for the restoration of stringed instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This environment introduced Pascal Camurat to the diversity of musicians’ practices and requirements. It was there that he met Paul Siefried, an American bow maker trained by William Salchow and considered one of the best of his generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIl m\u2019a enseign\u00e9 l\u2019entretien des archets et m\u2019a fait faire mon tout premier archet, que je d\u00e9tiens encoreHe taught me bow restoration and had me make my very first bow, which I still have<\/em>.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This American experience was a defining moment in Pascal Camurat\u2019s career, as this is where he made his first bow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Los
Los Angeles, 1980s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Archet<\/a><\/figure>\n
Archet de violon-alto,made for the benefit of the IPCI, signedS. Thomachot, Ch. Espey, N. Burke, K. Gr\u00fcnke et P.M. Siefried.
Instrument sold by Vichy Auctions on 5 December 2018.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Paris and London: further training with Thomachot and Beare (1987\u20131988)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"St\u00e9phane<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"St\u00e9phane<\/a><\/figure>\n
St\u00e9phane Thomachot,Violin bow, circa 1985.
Instrument sold by Vichy Auctions on 3 December 2020.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Back in Paris, Pascal Camurat furthered his training with St\u00e9phane Thomachot, an important figure in contemporary French bow making. St\u00e9phane Thomachot, who was a former student of Bernard Ouchard in Mirecourt, has played a key role in the transmission of French bow making expertise since the 1980s. For Pascal Camurat, this collaboration with Thomachot was essential, and he believes that without him, he would never have been able to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cget so close to such exceptional craftsmanship<\/em><\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, he completed his training in London, at the workshop of Charles Beare \u2013 the renowned institution founded in 1892 \u2013 where he contributed to the restoration of historical instruments and developed his experience within a team of recognized specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He worked there for several months, alongside experienced restorers such as Peter Gibson. This period at Beare\u2019s \u2013 a rare opportunity for a young French maker \u2013 rounded off an international training underpinned by precision and the study of the great masters, both past and present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bows spanning over 70 years of creation by the Ouchard family<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Londres.\"
Londres.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Paris.\"
Paris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Charles
Charles Beare.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Camurat brothers: in the family\u2019s footsteps (1990\u20132000)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Copeaux<\/a>
Maple and pernambuco wood shavings mixed together at a luthier-bow maker’s workshop – Pascal Camurat Archives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Photographie<\/a>
Personal photograph of Pascal Camurat’s studio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In 1990, upon their father’s retirement, Pascal and Bernard Camurat took over the family workshop under the name “Camurat Brothers”. They refocused the business on violin and bow making, abandoning the guitar trade their father had developed in the 1960s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“My brother and I had no knowledge or experience of this instrument. The business naturally gravitated towards violin making, and, for my part, bow making.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the 1990s, the workshop became one of the most active in Paris. Several makers worked there, contributing to its reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0\u201cIn the 1990s, our workshop was the one that produced the largest number of new instruments.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Pascal Camurat was then dividing his time between bow making in the morning, including restoration and new making, and violin making in the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The precise, delicate and serene nature of Bernard Camurat’s work, whose workshop was located in Montigny-sur-Loing, proved invaluable to Pascal during this period, and a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of Paris’s rue de Rome. Finally, after ten years, the need to pursue his own path away from busy Paris led him to move to Montpellier, where, in his own words, he now “peacefully dedicates himself” to the making of bows and, more seldomly, violins.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n
Pascal Camurat – violin made in 2008 – personal archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The bow maker: in search of the perfect balance<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Atelier<\/a>
Pascal Camurat’s studio – personal archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a>
Pascal Camurat at work in his studio \u2013 personal archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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From the 2000s onward, Pascal Camurat has dedicated himself increasingly exclusively to bow making. When asked what most defines his work, he answers “the sound” for the violin; “the feel” for the bow. The relationship with the material is therefore central to his work as a bow maker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAlthough we endeavour to consistently follow our models accurately, wood never leads us to exactly the same result twice. It is this diversity that the material offers that constantly pushes us to better understand it and try to optimize it as soon as we begin working with it<\/em><\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The unique qualities of each piece of wood acts as a reminder that each bow is unique, and that its quality depends as much on the wood itself as the work of the bow maker. Arriving at a point of perfect balance \u2013 neither too much nor too little \u2013 seems to summarize Pascal Camurat\u2019s philosophy of the craft. For him, the most delicate and exciting part of the work lies in the final touches:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cthe last few moments during which a few tenths of a gram of wood will emerge from the plane to optimize a stick, or when we stop just short of that.<\/em><\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Simplicity and high standards<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pascal<\/a><\/figure>\n
Pascal Camurat – Bow based on the bow by Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Tourte sold at Vichy Auctions on 30 November 2017.
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\"Marque<\/a>
Pascal Camurat’s mark on a bow \u2013 personal archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In Pascal Camurat’s work, influences are not expressed through the search for an identifiable style, nor through a desire to belong to a particular school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLike any school or teaching one receives, the first thing to do is to break free from it in order to develop a more personal style. However, the teachings of Thomachot or Sandner leave a lasting mark!<\/em><\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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These two figures, whom he met at key moments in his career, each contributed to shaping his approach. Their teachings are less about models to be reproduced and more a set of principles to follow. As a result, his approach is based on following the high standard learned from his mentors.

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\"Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier<\/a><\/figure>\n
Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Tourte, violin bow.
Instrument sold by Vichy Auctions on 30 November 2017 \u2013 World record for the most expensive bow ever sold at auction.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/ Photo C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWhen you have the opportunity to work in the best workshops, what stays with you is the high standards you should uphold in your daily work<\/em><\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Pascal Camurat, November 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These high standards, which have become his methodology, now guide all of his endeavours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In his pursuit of excellence, he acknowledges being inspired by the understated lines of Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Tourte, and in particular the “mint condition” violin bow sold at Vichy Ench\u00e8res in 2017, which holds the world record for a bow. In doing so, Pascal Camurat places himself within a long line of makers for whom the quality of the output takes precedence over name recognition; an approach of the craft based on self-effacement and the pursuit of excellence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Pascal Camurat\u2019s bows illustrate the continuity of a French school committed to precision and the pursuit of fine craftsmanship, as exemplified by the two bows by this maker included in the sale on 4 December 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\ude80 Suivez-nous !<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n