Gorgeous Older Non-Stamped Sterling Mounted Late 19th Century German Violin Bow

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A fantastic German violin bow from my bow collection pile. This could have been in my collection since I was a teenager. I don’t believe there was ever a maker’s stamp placed on this sterling silver mounted bow. It is unbelievable to me that the stick is not branded. This is a fantastic playing bow and lightweight to boot.

The bow is in fabulous condition after a great spa treatment: new tip and replacing the worn winding and leathers. The trick with the restoration was to keep the overall weight of the bow very close to the way I believe it was originally at just under 58.5 grams. This bow was made by a maker whose work was at a very high level. The players that owned this bow over the years took great care of the stick. This bow got the full treatment because it is such a nice playing bow. The head is cut very erect, almost sits straight up and the knife work on the head was done by an experienced luthier. The frog also helps set this bow apart with pin work in the silver lining, large single mother-of-pearl eyes with matching color mother-of-pearl slide. The color in the pearl is a mixture of green/pink/blue hues. The pearl is stunning. The ebony frog is half lined, traditional for the period. Yup, I love the execution of the frog, it may seem slightly shorter than the average frog. It is handmade and the ferrule is shorter in its width too. The mortise is cut with chisel work and the bow is choice pernambuco wood in round section. The wood is flawless with a darker brown color and a touch or orange. The stick is firm and is well thought out in its layout and proportions. This bow is easy to control and played so well against modern bows in the 2,500-3K range. I’m totally taken aback by the entire bow. It is a knockout German bow and would sell for more money if we had the maker’s stamp. Yes, gorgeous, in great condition, nice age – 125 plus old bow, a player, sterling fittings. It checks off all the boxes.

Weight fully haired 58.0 grams.