One of the great masters of the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, Claude Thomassin worked with his father Louis before joining Louis Bazin in Mirecourt. He moved to Paris at 20 years of age to work at Gand & Bernardel. While he was there, he developed his own style based on the work of Voirin. He set up his own Paris workshop in 1901. Claude Thomassin is generally considered the finest maker of his generation.