E. Herrmann Violin Bow- Schönlind circa 1935

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Stamped:

Edwin Otto Herrmann (1893-1972) was the son of Franz Albert Herrmann (1868-1660) bow maker of the well-known Herrmann bow making family of Vogtland. The craft of bow making had a long tradition in his family that can be traced back to the mid-18th century. Edwin Herrmann learned his craft from his father Franz Albert Herrmann (1868-1960) who learned from his father Christian Friedrich Herrmann (1818-1896) and from the Knopf workshop in Markneukirchen where both the father and grandfather trained. Franz Albert the father opened a shop in Schönlind in 1893. Schönlind is southwest of Markneukirchen, the famous hub for teaching and making musical instruments, and just northeast of Erlangen, Germany. Within 15 years his son Edwin Otto worked with him. Edwin Otto maintained the tradition of the family workshop in Schönlind, incorporating the Knopf style into their bows, working his whole life there in the family business. Edwin Otto Herrmann bows are stamped E. HERRMANN.

We have meticulously gone over the bow, replacing the bone tip, nickel silver winding, and the thumb leather. In the frog we replaced the mother-of-pearl slide, and one new pearl eye on the player’s side. The bow is gorgeous: pernambuco, round in section, and nickel mounted. The pernambuco is a Wow! Choice tight grain wood which has nice darker orange/brown color. The stick is firm in its overall strength. I love it! The bow deserved to be put on the wood pile for sterling silver bows to be made at the onset. But for some reason it did not make it there. It is that nice of a bow. The ebony frog has single 5.5 mm. pearl eyes, and the lining is secured to the frog with two screws. The heel is one-piece and pinned to the frog. The one-piece heel plate illustrates an older working technique. The end button contains no pins and has two turns in the collar– a French style three-part button with the double turns in the collar. The craftsmanship is spot on outstanding. This is a great bow. Yes, it plays and handles well. I cannot say enough nice things about this stick. I give it 9 out of 10 stars. This bow will find its way into a serious player’s violin case soon.

Weight fully haired 60.0 grams