Ernst Heinrich Roth Sterling Silver Viola Bow- W. Germany circa 1955

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Branded:

We have an attractive sterling silver mounted viola bow made in Germany for the Roth firm. Ernst Heinrich Roth (1877-1948) was a prominent figure in violin making the last half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. His instruments and the workshop instruments were special, and he even made some fine bows early on in his career. His instruments and bows are highly regarded for their superior sound and quality construction. The firm still to this day is in their fifth generation producing fine string instruments in Bubenreuth, Germany. From 1930-1950 branded Roth bows were supplied to the firm by two different German makers: Adolf Schuster and Otto Paulus. These makers supplied unstamped bows to the Roth workshop and the Roth firm graded and stamped them according to their own system. Our bow was made in the 1950’s and I believe it was made by the Otto Paulus firm. Many of these bows were made for export to the West and usually were sold with one of their instruments.

The bow is pernambuco specie, octagonal in section and sterling silver mounted. The head is masculine in its look, strong but not too small, and finished off with a bone face. The ebony frog has single mother-of-pearl eyes and a three-piece endscrew. The bow is in excellent condition.

Weight fully haired 71.0 grams