Francois Louis Pique (1758-1822) was born in Boret. His father was a famous instrument dealer during that time. In his early years, Pique was a student in Mirecourt. He went to Paris around 1770 to start his own instrument making business. He used molds that Viotti made of violins Stradivari made in 1709, which were quite popular at the time, receiving a lot of orders for them; therefore, he had Francois II Lupot and his brother Nicolas Lupot who lived in Orlean come help him.
Nicolas Lupot moved to France in 1794, and worked in Pique’s workshop until 1798 when he opened his own shop, but they still maintained friendly relations. After this, Pique helped Nicolas Lupot until Pique retired in 1816. He died in 1822.
The instruments Pique and Lupot made are very similar, but when compared more closely, it becomes apparent that Pique’s instruments are slightly bigger than Lupot’s. The contour of his instruments’ bodies is longer and the arches are rounder, similar to Stradivari’s style. Despite lacking the elegant style of Italian violins, they still possess a powerful personality. The design of the soundholes is superior and they match up extremely well; moreover, the ratio of the curves is quite exquisite. Pique ended the purfling in an upward direction at the four corners of the C bouts, which is quite unique and means he had exceptional craftsmanship. He usually used wood with bright and shiny grains for the front plates, while using attractive single pieces of maple for the backs.
Pique liked to use brownish red varnishes with elegant grains that were slightly opaque. Occasionally he would use dark purple varnishes or experiment with golden orange varnishes. His instruments possess a typical French timbre that is bright and sonorous, and extremely penetrating and smooth.
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