19th Century Old German Violin Bow – Gorgeous! – SOLD APRIL 22, 2024 –

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This stick is worth as much praise that any French bow receives. French bows get all the accolades with the German bow makers playing second fiddle. Not the case with this stick. I am a firm believer that many German bows are fantastic and were made with the same exacting detail and finesse as their French counterparts. This pernambuco wood choice is over the top nice, the bow plays well, it is light in weight, and the balance is remarkable. This bow is not stamped and was made sometime towards the late 1800’s. The bow is utterly perfect in condition, fully restored with the original baleen winding and a new thumb leather. Baleen is the filter feeding system inside the mouth of a baleen whale. The baleen is strong and flexible, a perfect natural resource used as the winding material on a stick in the 1800’s by bow makers, helping to date the bow. It is very smooth and was flexible enough to use to go around the circumference of the bow and not break or become brittle. This is a 140-year-old bow now in excellent condition. The ebony frog has single mother-of-pearl eyes, is fully lined and mounted in nickel silver, and shows slight genuine evidence of natural playing patina and wear. The tip has been replaced and now the entire head is in perfect condition with gorgeous chamfers. The pernambuco wood is a beautiful orange-brown color and just perfect in its non-wavering grain. The stick has strength; a firmness I look for in a good bow and the stick falls on the lighter side of gram weight. The bow has a quick camber starting just after the head as if this German maker had studied fine French bows. The bow is beautiful, round in section, balanced, and is a bow for an advanced player. It is a great playing bow.

Weight fully haired 55.5 grams