A Fine Violin Bow Made By Carl Albert Nürnberger- Markneukirchen circa 1925

click picture to enlarge

Stamped:

After completing his apprenticeship and journeyman years in his father’s highly respected shop, Carl Albert Nürnberger (1885-1971) made the Nürnberger workshop of the 1920’s into one of the top addresses in the world for bow making. Hardly any other bow maker of his generation could list so many well-known artists in their circle of customers, and many never worked with the exact detail and precision of the craft and sense of community.

This is an exceptional bow which I meticulously went over. The head is original and so are the frog and endscrew. The winding and thumb leather were totally grungy. I replaced the winding with tinsel/silk with a blue accent and new leather thumb almost identical to what was there. The tinsel/silk helped keep the gram weight to what was original in the overall weight of the bow. If I had gone with sterling silver wire the bow would have weighed in at 65 or 66 grams. The bow is an exquisite example of a Carl Albert violin bow. Pernambuco specie, octagonal in section, sterling silver mount.

The head is the basic model, inspired by F. X. Tourte, that he repeatedly used during his long career. The head is precise and clean. The planning on the yellowish/brown, lightly figured pernambuco stick attests to the highest level of quality craftsmanship. The facets are perfect and the finish on the bow is a satiny surface treated with linseed oil. The ebony frog has clear classic lines and is the basic model used by the family. The strong, rounded nose of the frog is a recurring characteristic of the Nürnberger workshop. The same is true of the large three-part “Tourte” eyes. The ebony ring around the eye is end grain wood that has been inlayed in the frog – WOW. Carl Nürnberger used durable white mother-of-pearl for the slide and eyes; nothing too colorful. The liner has been secured by silver pins along with the sterling one-piece heel. A total wow! in my book. The three-piece button with its evenly formed double collar and chamfered back both stand out as being a particular characteristic for this maker. The bow is gorgeous and will be a stick players will be drooling over.

Weight fully haired 62.3 grams