Ernst Albin Reidel Violin Bow- Markneukirchen circa 1905-1910 -CURRENTLY OUT ON TRIAL-

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Stamped:

Ernst Reidel (1881-1946) was one of the first bow makers in Landwüst, Germany who regularly stamped his bows. We do not know where he learned his trade. His bows are patterned on one of the Markneukirchen basic models used at the beginning of the 20th century. He stamped a portion of his bows with E. REIDEL on the handle and the feathered mythological beast on the frog. Ernst Reidel also made unstamped bows for dealers such as G.A. Pfretzschner, who then stamped the bows with their own name or that of their company. Three of Reidel’s sons Erich Reidel (1897-1979), Rudi Reidel (1903-1988), and Fritz Reidel (1907-1971), all learned bow making in their father’s workshop. After the father died in 1946 they continued the shop until the late 1970’s.

The bow is pernambuco, round in section, and mounted in sterling silver. The wood is old stock. It is chocolate in color and would have been harvested in the mid 1800’s and brought to Germany. The wood would have air-dried for 15-20 years before even being selected for a bow. The maker thought much of this piece of wood to use as a sterling silver mounted bow, not nickel. The stick is semi-firm with nice subtleness in its flex. This bow is carved extremely well and is streamlined in its gauge. I have replaced the tip with tip armor, and I replaced the winding with a silver tinsel woven thread and a maroon accent silk. The thumb grip is also fresh in goat leather. I kept the weight true to what the original was before working right at 60.0 grams. The frog is a Wow!! Blind eye ebony frog, sterling silver mounted. The insignia is on the player’s side frog. The heel is one-piece, and the button is a solid cap. The heel is held in place with two silver pins while the lining is held in place by two small bronze screws. Yes, the bow is excellent, feels beautiful in the hand, like a feather, and can handle on and off the string articulations in a master class.

Weight fully haired 60.0 grams