Edwin August Prager Violin Bow- Saxony/Leipzig circa 1905-1915

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Edwin August Prager (1875-1956) did his apprenticeship as a bow maker between 1889-1893 in Schönlind, Saxony with his father Fredrich Wilhelm Prager. According to oral tradition, F.W. Prager (1832-1908) learned bow making from C.F.W. Knopf and had worked in Leipzig for L. Bausch from 1859-1862 before he set up his own bow making shop in 1862 in Schönlind. August Edwin Prager’s father sent him for one year to work and study at the famed Bausch workshop from 1893-1894 in Leipzig. At 18 years old the Bausch family already noticed a skilled craftsman. Bow work is so exacting and takes detail work: no shortcuts, perfect knife and chisel work, and a determination not to settle. Bow making encompasses wood working, leather work, hair dressing, and jewelry work. All four arts in one. This is my first time to really get to study one of his early bows. I am so impressed. In 1930 in the city registry Edwin appears as a land owner and bow maker in Markneukirchen. He remained there until his death in 1956.

The bow has a well-rounded peak at the tip and an even flowing throat; the elegant head shows evidence to the high level of craftsmanship Edwin had. Wow! The bow is beautiful. The head is erect and evenly rounded, the knife work exceptional. His work, even at a young age, must have been mature and at the top of his game. The round stick is pernambuco– old stuff, chocolate color and the stick itself is well proportioned. There is no wasted girth in the stick; it is streamlined and subtle. The ebony frog follows his learning, a standard Markneukirchen model of the early 20th century. It has a sterling silver ferrule with a semi-high-rounded arch, a conical slide with a tiger flamed mother-of-pearl, and a divided heel plate. A typical characteristic of Prager’s frogs is the noticeably curved throat, bold and strong. The liner has been secured with two nickel silver screws. A three-piece button with a short double collar finishes off the end of the handle. The bow is in excellent condition and all original. No doubt about it. A double WOW! The bow sat in a case for at least one generation, sixty years with a collector of fine bows. This is a well-balanced excellent playing bow.

Weight fully haired 60.2 grams