Franz Albert Nürnberger jun. Violin Bow Markneukirchen circa 1918-1925

click picture to enlarge

Stamped:

Franz Albert Nürnberger jun. (1854-1931) learned bow making from his father Franz Albert Nürnberger Sr. who was one of those who signed the founding document of the Markneukirchen bow maker’s guild in 1888. Markneukirchen was the center of German violin and bow making for almost 3 centuries. Franz Albert jun. took over the management of the family workshop after his father’s death in 1894. Around 1890 he began stamping his bows with the ALBERT NÜRNBERGER stamp, no stars. Franz went the typical direction for a young man in the bow making trade, learning from a family member at a young age. He was around the family workshop as early as 10 years old. By the late 1800’s the Nürnberger family was well known and truly famous for their bow making and artists from all over the world sought out their sticks. The earlier bows made by Franz Albert in the 1870’s and early 1880’s have a different font for the maker’s stamp, and many were made and sold to other German shops like the R. Weichold and Hammig workshops.

This violin bow has been sitting in my collection for over 40 years and just now completed for sale. This is a hidden gem I should have completed years ago. The bow is from his later period of making, after 1915. During this period, he changed the stamp to *ALBERT NURNBERGER*. This stamp with the stars was still in use in the Nürnberger workshop up to 1960. The bow is influenced by his father’s model. The head is erect with a slightly elongated nose. The facets are well thought out and the edges are slightly rounded. The frog is original and is an H. R. Pfretzschner traditional model Parisian eye frog. The silver lining is secured to the frog with two nickel silver screws. The frog has a two-piece heel with a tapered silver throat to the heel on the back of the frog. The three-piece endscrew has turns on the collar and is finished on the end with a white abalone pearl. The pernambuco stick is truly fine. It is a firm bow in octagonal section with a dark orange/brown color. The wood is choice and stamped *ALBERT NÜRNBERGER*. The bow is in very good condition. I would have loved to have seen the family’s wood pile, their inventory in Markneukirchen. The selection of pernambuco must have been awesome! This piece of wood could easily be 150 years old., harvested in Brazil in the 1860’s or 1870’s. The bow is pernambuco, octagonal in section, and the frog and winding in sterling silver are original to the bow. The carving, incrementation of the stick, the facets, the jewelry work, and tip chamfers (knife work) are exquisite. I have meticulously gone over the entire bow, replacing the leather lapping, the thumb grip, and gave the bow a new facial tip. This is a professional bow in every respect and checks all the boxes if you’re looking for a fantastic German bow. It is a great stick from a historical standpoint too, as the family was huge in the bow industry of Germany. I love the playability of the bow. It is a strong player and handles better than well.

Weight fully haired 57.3 grams