Gustav Rudi Steinel Violin Bow- Breitenfeld, Germany circa 1955-1960

click picture to enlarge

Stamped:

Rudi Steinel was the son of the bow maker Gustav Steinel. Rudi did his apprenticeship in Markneukirchen between 1939 and 1942 in the Adolf C. Schuster workshop. He survived and got through World War II and then continued working in the Schuster shop as a journeyman from 1945 to 1950. In 1950 Rudi did his master’s examination in bow making in Markneukirchen. A year later he opened his own shop in his hometown of Breitenfeld, near Leipzig. In 1977 he was awarded the title of “Anerkannter Kunsthandwerker” which roughly translates to “recognized artistic craftsman” in recognition of his professional achievements. His bows exemplify the working traditions of 20th century Markneukirchen bow making and his own personal touch too. His bows are stamped G. Rudi Steinel with either no stars or three stars.

The bow is pernambuco, round in section, and sterling silver mounted. It features choice wood with beautiful color and tight grain. Everything is original except the silver tinsel winding which had to be replaced. The original tinsel winding was filthy and the leather was fully gone. I replaced the tinsel with new and kept the original theme of green accenting silk. The frog is single mother-of-pearl eye and the ferule, slide, and end button all have etchings in the sterling silver. The entire bow is laid out well and the camber forms early in the stick. The bow handles well with some strength and flex. I love the bow, how it handles on the strings well and the overall balance of the stick. Keeping the same type of winding kept the weight down, helping the bow stay true to Rudi’s original intentions for this bow. If I had gone with straight sterling silver wire and a leather thumb the bow would have had an overall weight of 64.5 grams. In my thought, this would be too heavy. This is a 70-year-old pernambuco bow that is gorgeous, plays well, and a professional bow for sure.

Weight fully haired 60.9 grams