Old Saxon/Klingenthal Violin Bow circa 1890-1900

click picture to enlarge

Stamped:

In our 37 years we have always offered hundreds of bows for our customers to check out and take out on trial. Currently, we have close to 700 pernambuco bows completed in the shop for various string instruments. I enjoy the challenge of each bow and I like the detail and discipline it takes to restore, repair, and rehair any type of bow. From Baroque to transitional to older collections of sticks and even carbon fiber. I spend many hours on bows, and it doesn’t matter if it a famous bow, historical bow, German, French, English, or an older period bow stamped “SAXON” like this one. For me the bow work I do every day remains totally fun and worthwhile. A violin shop can only give you choices. The decision is yours to make. A highly expensive bow if you need one is here at the shop. If you don’t need one, we have that too.

This violin bow represents a time that you can only really read about anymore: 19th century bow making. A period before guilds were established, setting standards in Germany and France. A time when bows were maybe thought of as an add-on to the violin outfit, to complete the outfit. Bow makers worked long hours (farmer’s hours) in a workshop alongside many makers and did not brand or stamp the bow with their own personal name. Many of these older bows have just been thrown out and/or were not cared for. I discovered the stamp “SAXON” on the butt end of the stick, very faint but still legible while I was removing the old winding and then cleaning the stick. I immediately saw this bow in a different light! Eventually, I replaced the winding and added a new leather thumb. The bow is made of pernambuco specie, is round in section, and has nickel mounts. The wood choice used for this bow is gorgeous old slow growth tight grain pernambuco. The red/brown color is beautiful. This Saxon/Klingenthal area bow was made in a shop where they did not brand the sticks. The frog has single pearl eyes, a mother-of-pearl slide encased in silver, and a one-piece heel. The heel and the lining show pin work. The three-piece button is full of hand work: the turns in the collar, slightly larger ebony middle section, and the back ring which contains an inlaid pearl eye. The bow is in very good condition and waiting for a player looking for their first handmade old-world pernambuco bow.

Weight fully haired 57.2 grams