R. A. SUSS Pernambuco Trade Violin Bow- Markneukirchen/Saxony circa 1920-1940

click picture to enlarge

Stamped:

If the bow were stamped and looked just like a J C SUESS, who was a very reputable German maker from the Markneukirchen area making bows from 1852-1900, this would have been a 2-3K violin bow. He is listed as a maker for the first time in 1852 and one who had studied with Chr. Fredrich Knopf. Markneukirchen was the very famous German area for bow making in the 19th and early 20th century. The area was home to thousands of makers for 200 years. Markneukirchen attracted young people who apprenticed themselves to shops and learned the art. This bow has a trade name to make it sound like it was made from or in the Suess shop. I cannot find a maker with that name who made a number of bows or had a shop. A little bit of marketing going on here, still a very nice older bow for the money. My educated guess is that this bow was made by an apprentice with 3-4 years of experience. It is a bow in sterling silver mounts, not a stick started by a novice.

Pernambuco specie, round section, sterling silver mounts. We replaced the leather and sterling silver winding with a new sterling winding and a new leather. The bow has single mother-of-pearl eyes and has some great color in the mother-of-pearl slide. The lining has brass screws to hold it in place and the bow is made well. The stick is semi firm in its makeup and plays well.

Weight fully haired 59.1grams