German Violin Bow Branded TOURTE Circa 1890 – Great Playing Bow! – SOLD MARCH 25, 2024 –

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Stamped on the player side:

This handmade violin bow is simply beautiful. It is older in its origin, and the dense wood selected by the maker produced a bow that is strong, yet the stick is slightly thinner in its entire length. As the maker works with the wood, he can tell how much he can work down the thickness of the pernambuco. It’s the wood and the artist’s knowledge of the medium he’s working in that determines how far the maker goes with the carving and shaping of the stick. The stick is a wow; the ebony frog is fully lined in nickel with mother-of-pearl for the eyes and slide, and the head of the stick finished in an ivory tip. An interesting feature of the bow is the three-piece silver and ebony endscrew; one of the silver rings has a double lip. The bow was made in that pre-1900 era with the gram weight being 55.6 grams. The only changes I made to the bow were a new ivory tip and removing the broken and brittle nickel winding and torn leather thumb grip. When I received the bow the winding and leather were beyond saving. The bow’s pre-restoration weight was 52.1 grams. The new winding is a light gauge sterling silver which added a few more grams to the stick, helping the bow to have a better balance and playability. These were the only restorative changes made in the bow. The nickel mountings in the frog are finished and attached by small, tapered silver pins. The bow’s hallmark is the excellent craftsmanship in the stick and fittings. It is a wonderful playing bow, as nice or nicer than bows in the 2 to 3K range. It is worthy of a serious look for a great bow.

Weight fully haired 55.6 grams.