BAUSCH Workshop Violin Bow- Germany 1910-1920

click picture to enlarge

Stamped:

This BAUSCH workshop bow is from the early 20th century, and it is a nickel silver mounted workshop bow. This stamp/brand was used as the standard stamp for the Bausch workshop while these bows were made under the management of the Paulus family. To meet the demand, the bow industry developed and rose out of a remote area of eastern Germany near the Czech border, a region known as Western Bohemia. The center of the instrument making industry was the town of Markneukirchen in the state of Saxony. The Bausch family, makers from (1804-1875), were highly regarded, esteemed in the bow making area of the violin trade. There bows were known for their outstanding hand work and playability. The family made bows for four generations beginning with Ludwig Christian August Bausch in the 1820’s. They made superb bows sold as their own and marketed unstamped bows to other shops in Germany such as the Heinrich Knopf workshop. “BAUSCH” branded bows were still being made while the Bausch shop was under the management of the Paulus family from 1876 up to the 1920’s.

This bow was made just before or just after World War I. During this era many German shops left the maker’s name and/or origin off the stick. Purposely or not, there are no origin markings on this stick. The bow simply would have been placed in a violin outfit headed for sale at a music company. I’ve had this stick for years, hanging in my home workshop. I brought another pile of bows over from home this spring and completed this bow on June 6, 2025, here in the shop. These older German pernambuco bows are cost effective and are beautiful sticks. It just needed some TLC.

This bow is light orange/brown color tight-grained pernambuco that is old stock. The wood is special, lusterous, and firm in its make-up. It is a wow in my book! This bow was loved and played on for years. The frog area of the stick is discolored into a darker color from all of the handling. A great sign to see. The bow is easy to control and feels like a feather in my hand. Pernambuco wood, round in section, and with a single mother-of-pearl eye frog. The mother-of-pearl slide is slightly thinner in design than your typical frog slide. Just different. The heel, also thinner, is one-piece and pinned in place along with the lining of the frog. The button if three pieces with a mother-of-pearl end. The tip is fully original in very good condition. The winding has been replaced with nickel silver wire and I’ve added a new leather thumb grip in goat. If you’re looking for an older bow to add to your quiver of bows this could be it. It will give you another option of sound and response off your violin. We have over 500 violin bows in our showrooms for you to try. 95% of these bows are pernambuco sticks, many I collected as a young kid and into my college years growing up in the New York City area. If it’s an older European bow that you’re looking for, this might check all of the boxes. Light gram weight, gorgeous wood, excellent workmanship with German fuss, and no real provenance which keeps the price down.

Weight fully haired 57.0 grams