Pique François-Louis, *1754 (?) Roret (near Mirecourt), †26 October 1822 Charenton Saint Maurice (near Paris), French violin maker. He trained under E. Saunier in Mirecourt. Before 1777, he opened a workshop in Paris, where he employed his friend and contemporary N. Lupot from 1794 to 1798, before Lupot established his own workshop. The striking similarity between the violins made by them is the result of their long-standing collaboration; Pique’s instruments differ from Lupot’s only in their slightly wider waist, the type of string, and a less elaborate scroll. His violins, based on various models by A. Stradivari, are distinguished by their excellent sound qualities, carefully selected wood and finish, and an exquisite reddish-brown varnish. The uneven character of some of the instruments is due to the fact that he employed a number of assistants, whose violins he only varnished. Highly regarded by L. Spohr, he was one of the best French violin makers alongside Lupot and was the link between the School of Violin Making in Mirecourt and the Parisian violin making workshops. His instruments reflected a growing preference for instruments with a brighter and louder sound, which shifted the interest of builders from the Stainer and Amati models to Stradivari’s violins. Although he did not achieve the same renown as Lupot, he had a major influence on the development of French violin making.
Literature: R. Vannes Dictionnaire universel des luthiers, Paris 1932, 61999; Alte Meistergeigen, ed. H.K. Herzog, vol. 8, Frankfurt am Main 1982; J. Thöne Italian and French Violin Makers, Jost Thöne Verlag 2003; S. Milliot François-Louis Pique, part 1–2, “The Cozio Carteggio”, https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/cozio-carteggio/francois-louis-pique-part-1, https://tarisio.com/cozio-archive/cozio-carteggio/francois-louis-pique-part-2.
