Fritz Gütter Violin Bow Markneukirchen circa 1947-1955

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Stamped:

Fritz Gütter (1890-1960) learned bow making between 1904-1908 in the H.R. Pfretzschner workshop in Markneukirchen. He also trained as a journeyman for Albert Nürnberger until 1914. In 1919 Fritz Gütter set up his own shop in Markneukirchen, where he worked as a respected bow maker, respected well into his old age. A portion of his bows were stamped “Fritz Gütter,” the rest of his bow production was made for the Albert Nürnberger workshop. As a result of his training, his bows stamped with his name echo the stylistic directions used in the Nürnberger workshop. The head, octagonal sections, and the frog for sure show the Nürnberger influence. The octagonal clearly planned edges of the stick are indicative of Nürnberger work.

The stick is pernambuco specie and the knife work in the head is fantastic. The bow is in excellent condition due to the fact that I purchased this bow from a bow collector who was not a player. It sat in a bow box, unused for the past 50 years. I spent an entire day studying this bow while I had it apart. Remember, bow making is a hybrid artisan craft of wood working, jewelry work, leather work, and hair dressing all in one craft. The engineering skill at this level is very high. We cleaned the bow, cut new leathers in lizard, and haired the bow. The bow is in better than very good condition. The color in the pernambuco is medium orange/brown and the silver mounted blind eye frog is classic and exemplifies the typical Markneukirchen working pattern of the mid-20th century. The entire way the frog was made, particularly in the form of the masculine round and throat shows the mature craftsmanship Gütter’s knife and plane work was capable of. The three-piece endscrew with the double cut collar is evidence of exceptional jewelry work. A beautiful bow looking for a new home.

Weight fully haired 61.2 grams