Léon Mougenot cello, Mirecourt 1917

Born into the third generation of the Mougenot family of violin makers based in Mirecourt, France, Léon Victor Mougenot (1874-1954) was the son of Joseph Mougenot (1856-1886) and grandson of Eugène Christophe Mougenot (1815-1894), both who were employed by various Mirecourt workshops as engravers and decorators of instruments. After working for Emile Laurent II in Mirecourt, Léon Mougenot moved to Brussels in 1887 to work for Georges Mougenot (1843-1937), a cousin of his father. In 1894, he traveled to work for Paul François Blanchard in Lyon, Paul Jombar in Paris, then to the famous W. E. Hill & Sons workshop in London until 1898. Returning home to Mirecourt in 1899, Mougenot established a highly influential workshop, where he focused on building copies of the Italian masters with a large number of students under his tutelage. Léon Mougenot received a gold medal for an instrument entered into the International Exhibition of Eastern France held in Nancy in 1909.