Mirecourt Style Old World Nickel Mount Brazilwood Violin Bow – Ornate Frog

click picture to enlarge

Mirecourt was the hub for centuries for fine violin making and bow making in France. Germany had Markneukirchen while France had Mirecourt. Mirecourt is 233 miles east of Paris and is where many famous makers chose to live. For one thing it is beautiful and, in the rural countryside in any century, it is much less expensive than living in Paris. The town had access to rail and shipping ports. Brazilwood and pernambuco were harvested in Brazil, shipped in log form to France, then loaded on rail to finally be split and stacked to dry for another 15-20 years. Then the piece was selected to be made into a bow. The process and systems to make it all happen is something I marvel at.

In the 19th century this style frog was made in ivory or bone and were matched to the pernambuco or brazilwood bows. These bows were very popular in the 19th century, and many were coming out of Mirecourt workshops. We have our own Mirecourt stylized frog with a typical fancy nickel/ebony endscrew. If you’re looking for something different in a violin bow to play with and would like another bow to create different sounds on your violins. Then think about adding this to your quiver of bows. I know many players that have 6-8 bows. They are usually fiddlers or jazz players.

The bow is made from brazilwood and is a firm player. The bow was not made in Mirecourt. If it were it would be 4 to 5 times the price. The stick itself is incremented well and there is no excess girth in the wood. The maker did a great job carving the stick and its fittings. The brazilwood is darker in color – I’m not sure but I’m figuring pre-World War II old stock. This older variety of brazilwood is just linseed oiled, applied with a rag, and given many coats. The frog is ornate in the heel to imitate the old French style and is what is called a half-lined bow. The mother-of-pearl slide is striking. This is a good playing bow that is priced to sell.

Weight fully haired 61.5 grams